The operator of the parenting concept YouTube channel is accused of child abuse
A Utah woman who runs a parenting YouTube channel is facing charges of child abuse and neglect after her son ran away from home.
Ruby Franke and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested in Ivins, Utah, earlier this week.
Authorities also found Franke’s 10-year-old daughter malnourished at her partner’s home.
Both women were charged with six counts of child abuse on Friday.
Police said Franke’s 12-year-old son climbed out of a window and ran to a neighbor’s house to ask for food and water.
“Neighbors said the teenager appeared thin and malnourished, with deep gashes and duct tape on his legs,” the Santa-Clara Ivins Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
The two brothers were taken to hospital with deep wounds from being tied with ropes and malnutrition.
In all, four children were placed in the custody of family and child services, according to the statement.
On Friday, Washington County officials in Utah formally charged Franke and Hildebrandt with three counts of emotional, physical abuse, and malnutrition.
Each charge carries up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, Washington County officials said.
Franke, 41, rose to fame on YouTube in 2015 after her channel, 8 Passengers, which discusses aspects of parenting and childcare, began to gain traction.
The channel gained over two million subscribers before it was deactivated earlier this year.
There is no information about the whereabouts of Franke’s husband, Kevin, but the media reported that they are still married.
The couple has six children namely Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell and Eve.
Franke has also been criticized for punishing her son to sleep on a bean bag for several months for an offense, but the vlogger denied it and described it as a disciplinary action.
She has also appeared in a YouTube video posted by Hildebrandt, a counselor and life coach , on the ConneXions Classroom channel.
According to a report in the Salt Lake Tribune, Hildebrandt was placed on probation for 18 months and once came close to losing his license as a therapist after discussing his patients’ affairs publicly without permission.
Franke’s eldest daughter, Shari, shared a post on Instagram after her mother’s arrest, saying that she and the family were “so glad justice was served”.
“We’ve been trying to tell the authorities for years about this, and it’s great that they finally took action,” she said.
