Ever notice how the most picture-perfect families on social media sometimes give off those subtle “something’s not quite right” vibes? That nagging feeling in your gut that says maybe—just maybe—things aren’t as sunshine-and-rainbows as they appear? The Ruby Franke case is basically that feeling turned up to eleven and then confirmed in the most horrifying way possible.
I’ve been obsessed with this case since it broke. (My husband Ryan keeps asking why I’m still scrolling through Reddit threads at 3 AM. Sorry not sorry, babe.)
The YouTube Mommy Who Fell From Grace
Ruby Franke wasn’t just any mommy blogger. She was THE mommy blogger—amassing millions of views on her “8 Passengers” YouTube channel where she documented life with her six children. Perfect hair, perfect house, perfect parenting advice.
But as we’ve learned from literally every true crime case ever, appearances can be as deceiving as a killer with a solid alibi.
Behind that carefully curated social media presence lurked something much darker. Something that eventually led to her arrest and conviction on four counts of aggravated child abuse—a sentence that could keep her behind bars for up to 30 years, according to recent coverage from People magazine.
The Unholy Alliance
Enter Jodi Hildebrandt, Franke’s business partner and apparent spiritual guru. Together, they formed a duo as toxic as arsenic in sweet tea, convincing Franke’s children they were possessed by demons and needed “cleansing” through torture.
(I’ve gone down some dark research rabbit holes, but religious extremism mixed with child abuse is a special kind of disturbing.)
The abuse wasn’t just physical—though that was horrific enough. It was psychological warfare. Imagine being told by your own mother that you’re evil and need to be punished to be saved. That’s not parenting; that’s cult behavior with a side of family photos.
The Evidence That Makes Your Skin Crawl
Recently released police videos show just how deep this horror show went. One of Franke’s children escaped through a window and ran to a neighbor’s house—emaciated, with duct tape around their limbs and open wounds. If that doesn’t make your blood boil, check your pulse.
The arrest footage shows Franke and Hildebrandt being taken into custody, looking about as remorseful as a cat that knocked over your favorite vase. That blank stare is something I’ve seen in countless mugshots of people who’ve completely disconnected from reality.
But perhaps most chilling are the handwritten journals where Franke meticulously documented the abuse. (Who DOES that? It’s like keeping receipts for your own prosecution.) These weren’t just random notes—they were a timeline of torture, written with the same casual tone someone might use for a grocery list.
The Unsolved Questions
While Franke and Hildebrandt are now behind bars (where they absolutely belong), this case leaves me with questions that keep me up at night:
How many other children are suffering behind perfect Instagram filters?
What kind of psychological manipulation turns a mother against her own children in the name of religion?
And perhaps most disturbing—were there others involved in this abuse network who haven’t been caught?
The religious extremism angle particularly fascinates me. This wasn’t just garden-variety child abuse (as if there’s such a thing). This was systematic torture justified by twisted spiritual beliefs—a pattern we’ve seen in cult cases throughout history.
The Warning Signs We All Missed
Looking back at Franke’s content now is like watching a horror movie where you’re screaming at the characters not to go into the basement. The signs were there—harsh punishments, strange rules, children who seemed increasingly withdrawn.
But we’ve become so desensitized to “tough love” parenting on social media that the line between discipline and abuse has blurred into a messy gray area where children suffer while we hit the like button.
I would have survived this crime by never following mommy bloggers in the first place. (Half-kidding, but also… not really.)
This case isn’t just about one monstrous mother. It’s about our collective failure to protect children hiding in plain sight, behind the perfect family facade that gets so many clicks and shares.
And that’s a crime we’re all somewhat complicit in.