Utah Influencer Ruby Franke Arrested on Baby Abuse Fees

Content warning: This story discusses child abuse.

Ruby Franke is facing legal trouble for alleged child abuse.

The mother of six, who ran the now-deleted 8 Passengers YouTube channel, was detained and remains in custody for aggravated child abuse charges in Utah, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, her business partner, were arrested on the charges Aug. 30 after police were alerted to a report of a starved child, the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department said in a press release.

Authorities said the child, who appeared “emaciated and malnourished with “open wounds and duct tape around the extremities,” had been seeking food and water. The child, whose name and age were not disclosed, was transported to a local hospital due to their “severe” condition.

Police said they were informed that children in a nearby residence could be undergoing similar circumstances, prompting officers to search a nearby home, where they said they found another juvenile “in a similar physical condition of malnourishment.” That child, too, was transported to a hospital, per the press release.