Is the 8-passenger vlogger still in jail?

Authorities charged family vlogger Ruby Franke for multiple counts of child abuse. She is the founder of the now-defunct YouTube channel 8 Passengers. Alongside Franke, his business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, faces similar charges. Authorities are now holding them at the Utah County Jail, according to KUTV.

Reportedly, both women were first incarcerated at the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility on August 30, 2023. This occurred after one of Franke’s children left Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins. The 12-year-old boy walked to a neighbor’s house, “emaciated” and “covered in wounds,” asking for food and water. Police also found Franke’s 10-year-old daughter in “a similar physical state of malnutrition” at Hildebrandt’s home.

In October 2023, authorities moved the alleged attackers to Utah County where they remain in custody.

When is Ruby Franke’s court appearance?

Ruby Franke, 41, who once ran the now-defunct YouTube channel 8 Passengers, faces six counts of aggravated child abuse. The Salt Lake Tribune reported that police arrested Franke and her podcasting partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, 54, on suspicion of child abuse on August 30, 2023. The latter faces similar charges.

Hildebrandt’s neighbors called 911 when Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped from the former’s Ivins home and arrived at their door asking for food and water. The outlet reported that the boy allegedly had duct tape on his wrists and ankles. Police later discovered that the vlogger’s 10-year-old daughter was suffering from malnutrition in the same house.

Franke’s last public hearing was on September 18, 2023. Then, in mid-October, Juvenile Court Judge Suchada P. Bazzelle barred the media and public from all future hearings. Additionally, KUTV reported that no upcoming hearings are scheduled for the child abuse case. Franke will now appear in his family protection case. This has nothing to do with the child abuse case involving her and Hildebrandt.

According to People Magazine, the 41-year-old became known on YouTube through her channel 8 Passengers. The family channel accumulated around 2.5 million viewers but stopped vlogging in 2022. Following this, the mother of six joined Hildebrandt’s ConneXions podcast. Through this platform, the two women then began sharing controversial parenting advice on their social media pages called Moms of Truth.