Ever notice how the most picture-perfect families on social media are sometimes hiding the darkest secrets? The Ruby Franke saga is basically the true crime equivalent of finding out your neighbor with the perfect lawn has bodies buried under it.
If you’ve somehow missed this nightmare fuel, Ruby Franke was the smiling mom behind “8 Passengers,” a YouTube channel with 2.5 million subscribers that documented her supposedly wholesome life with husband Kevin and their six kids. For years, she served up daily slices of family life that had viewers coming back for more (and more and more—we’re talking over a billion views).
But behind that carefully curated content? A horror show that would make even seasoned true crime junkies sick to their stomachs.
The Red Flags Were Waving Like Crazy
Looking back (isn’t hindsight the most depressing superpower?), the warning signs were practically screaming at us. Ruby’s “strict parenting” included punishments that made viewers increasingly uncomfortable. She once bragged about denying her hungry son lunch because he forgot to bring it to school—calling it a “natural consequence.” (I’m sorry, but starvation as a teaching tool? That’s about as natural as my aunt’s blue eyeshadow.)
Other disturbing incidents included making her son sleep on a beanbag for seven months after he and his brother shared a room. The family’s YouTube comment section became a battlefield between defenders of “tough love” and those crying child abuse.
And you know what? Those concerned commenters were right all along.
When the Facade Finally Cracked
The house of cards came tumbling down in August 2023 when one of Ruby’s children escaped from the home of her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt. The kid—emaciated and injured—ran to a neighbor begging for food and water. When police arrived, they found another child in similarly horrific condition.
The details that emerged were straight out of a horror movie. The children had been subjected to extended periods without food and water, forced physical exertion in extreme heat, and repeated physical abuse. (I’ve read autopsy reports that were less disturbing than the conditions these kids endured.)
Ruby and Jodi were arrested faster than you can say “family channel monetization,” and charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse each. By December 2023, Ruby had pleaded guilty to four of those counts, facing between 4-30 years in prison.
The “Evil Spirits” Defense
Here’s where it gets even weirder (because apparently child abuse wasn’t disturbing enough). Ruby claimed her children were possessed by “evil spirits” that needed to be exorcised through punishment. This bizarre belief system apparently developed through her partnership with Hildebrandt, with whom she ran a now-defunct parenting advice platform called “ConneXions.”
Their warped philosophy mixed extreme religious views with psychological manipulation. (Nothing says “healthy parenting advice” like believing your kids are vessels for demonic possession, right?)
Kevin Franke, Ruby’s estranged husband, has since spoken out about her radical transformation, claiming he was pushed out of the family home before the worst abuse occurred. ABC News coverage showed him tearfully discussing his attempts to reunite with his children.
The Social Media Monster
The most chilling part of this whole twisted saga? Ruby documented her family’s life for years while allegedly abusing her children behind the scenes. It’s the ultimate reminder that what we see online is often a carefully constructed fiction.
Would these kids have suffered the same fate without the pressure of maintaining a perfect online image? Without the echo chamber of supporters praising Ruby’s “discipline”? Without the financial incentive to keep producing content regardless of what was happening off-camera?
I’ve spent countless nights falling down internet rabbit holes about this case (my husband Ryan has started calling my laptop “the depression machine”), and I still can’t wrap my head around how someone goes from mommy vlogger to convicted child abuser.
The recent Hulu documentary featuring interviews with Ruby’s eldest children offers even more disturbing insights into the family’s downfall. It’s like watching a slow-motion car crash that everyone saw coming but no one could stop.
The Takeaway (Besides Triple-Checking Your Doors Tonight)
The Ruby Franke case isn’t just another true crime story—it’s a warning about the dark side of family vlogging and social media fame. It reminds us that behind the perfect Instagram posts and cheerful YouTube videos, real children are being affected by their parents’ choices.
So the next time you find yourself envying that seemingly perfect family online, remember Ruby Franke. Sometimes the most picture-perfect families are hiding the most horrifying secrets.
And maybe—just maybe—we should all be a little more skeptical about the lives people choose to broadcast online. Because the real horror isn’t what they show us—it’s what they don’t.