Almost exactly a year after Ruby Franke pled guilty to four counts of child abuse and was subsequently given four prison sentences, a documentary series highlighting her abuse dropped on Hulu.
The series, titled Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, follows Ruby setting up her now-defunct family YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, about her life with husband Kevin and their six children. The channel had over 2million subscribers, but what viewers didn’t see was the torment the children— particularly her two youngest— had to endure behind the scenes.
The idyllic picture of family life that Ruby had created online came crashing down in August 2023 when her youngest son, then-twelve years old, escaped from Ruby’s business partner Jodi Hildebrandt's home and was rescued by a neighbour.
Ruby agreed to testify against Jodi, who is also serving up to 30 years in prison for physically and emotionally abusing the two youngest Franke children.
Ruby told the judge during the sentencing, ‘For the past four years, I’ve chosen to follow counsel and guidance that has led me into a dark delusion. My distorted version of reality went largely unchecked as I would isolate from anyone who challenged me.’
So, where are the Franke children now?
21-year-old Shari Franke has been the most vocal of Ruby and Kevin’s children. In January 2025, she released a memoir, The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom, detailing the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mum. In it, she describes the children having to withstand cruel punishments that frequently included physical abuse.
In an interview with Good Morning America, Shari said, ‘Sometimes I'll, see myself in the mirror and I'm like, “Oh, my gosh, I look like her,” or “I sound like her,” but I don't want to be anything like her.’
In October 2024, Shari Franke testified about the need for laws to protect children in family vlogs to the Utah Senate committee hearing. Shari said, ‘My mother, Ruby Franke, is the prominent family vlogger arrested last year for child abuse. I don’t come today as the daughter of a felon, nor a victim of an abnormally abusive mother. I come today as a victim of family vlogging. My goal today is not to present any idea of a solution to this problem, but to shed light on the ethical and monetary issues that come from being a child influencer.’
She continued, ‘When children become stars in their family’s online content, they become child influencers. It is more than just filming your family life and putting it online. It is a full-time job, with employees, business credit cards, managers, and marketing strategies.’
In a recent Instagram post, Shari wrote that she was doing further work to protect the children of family vloggers. She captioned it, ‘I have been working on drafting HB322 that would protect child influencers in our state. This bill would require parents to create a trust fund for their children and require parents to pay children a minimum amount. It would also allow children influencers, at 18, to have any content they appeared in to be removed from all social media platforms.’
At the end of 2024, Shari revealed on Instagram that she was engaged, although this will likely be the last piece of private information she shares online. She captioned the post, ‘I’m excited to share that I’m engaged! However, for me, this is the end of me sharing my private life. I’ve had my voice and agency taken for so long, and now, I’m putting my foot down. I’m not going to talk about my wedding, future husband, or future kids. I’ll continue to advocate for kids who didn’t have a voice (so you’ll still be seeing me, don’t worry) but this is closure for me. I’m moving on with my life, and that’s true freedom and joy. Please respect my privacy and the privacy of my future family, and don’t speculate or pry. This is my wish, and my gift to my family.’
As for the other Franke children, Chad Franke, Ruby and Kevin’s second child, was also featured prominently in their vlogs. Now, he is 20-yearsold and is a video creator and realtor.
The four youngest children of the Franke family—Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve—were placed in protective custody following their mother's arrest. Their father— who was separated from Ruby and the children allegedly at Hildebrandt’s request— has since sought custody of the children. In 2024, he testified before Utah lawmakers and pushed for stronger legal protections for children in vlogging families.
Although the exact whereabouts of the four youngest children is unknown, given the circumstances, that is undoubtedly for the best.