Please be advised that this article discusses child abuse, which may be upsetting for some readers.
The daughter of former YouTuber and convicted child abuser Ruby Franke has recently spoken out following her mother’s sentencing to four consecutive terms of up to 15 years in prison.
Shari Franke, Ruby’s eldest daughter, has shared her experiences in a memoir titled The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom.
Ruby Franke gained popularity on YouTube by providing glimpses into her life in Utah with her six children.
Starting in 2015, her channel, ‘8 Passengers’, featured parenting tips and showed how she managed home-schooling, cooking, and spending time with her family.
Nevertheless, some of Franke’s parenting techniques raised eyebrows, such as when she threatened to deny her sons dinner if they continued play-fighting.
In August 2023, Franke and her mentor, Jodi Hildebrandt, were arrested after Franke’s 12-year-old son fled Hildebrandt’s home through a window. He sought help from a neighbor, asking for food and water while having duct tape on his ankles.
Authorities found the boy malnourished and with ‘deep lacerations from being tied up with rope’.
In 2023, both Franke and Hildebrandt admitted guilt to four charges of child abuse involving two of Ruby Franke’s children, excluding Shari. They each received four consecutive sentences ranging from one to 15 years in prison.
Shari Franke shared her experiences with Good Morning America’s Eva Pilgrim, revealing she was distanced from the family after starting college.
She alleged she suffered abuse from her mother throughout her youth, stating: “When I was younger, around, like, five, six, Ruby was really physical. Whether it was like a slap to the lip or – a slap to the cheek…when I would practice the piano, her hand would slam and it was really scary.”
Following Franke’s guilty plea, Shari expressed that she believed her mother was ‘as sorry as she can be’.
“What she has done is so bad that I don’t think her mind allows her to kind of fully comprehend the guilt of all that. And so I think that she probably genuinely believed everything she said. I don’t believe it though,” she commented.
When asked if there was anything she’d like to tell her mom directly, Shari responded: “Probably tell her ‘I’m happy without you’. I was scared of her for so long, and I am here without her approval, and I am just fine.”
In her book, Shari described Hildebrandt as a Mormon family counselor and noted how her abuse transitioned from physical to psychological after Hildebrandt became involved in their lives.
Shari mentioned that Hildebrandt moved into their home in 2022, prompting Kevin Franke, the children’s father, to move out.
She claimed her mother was secretive about her relationship with Hildebrandt, saying: “I certainly got weird vibes from Jodi and Ruby. I don’t think it’s normal at all that a therapist would move in to your client’s home … I was moving out to college, I hadn’t even left the house yet, and she is in my room and in my bed.”
When asked if she suspected Franke and Hildebrandt were more than friends, Shari responded: “I’m not sure.”
Shari mentioned she sought assistance for the abuse she allegedly faced from her mother but did not receive help.
In a statement to ABC News, the Utah Division of Child and Family Services stated: “The Utah Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) works with children and families during some of their most vulnerable moments. DCFS respects that each child and family has a right to privacy and remains firm in our commitment to that privacy for the children and families of Utah.
“DCFS affirms law enforcement reports of our involvement in the Franke case. However, in order to protect the integrity of the necessary working relationships with those we serve, and to respect the privacy of children and families, DCFS will continue its practice and refrain from sharing specific information on a case, past or present. Utah law requires any person with reason to believe that a child has been subjected to abuse, neglect, or dependency to report it to DCFS or a local law enforcement agency. The 24/7 abuse and neglect hotline is 855-323-3237.”
If you have been impacted by these issues or want to discuss concerns about a child’s welfare confidentially, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) is available 24/7 and accepts calls from the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.