Bond hearing set for parenting YouTuber charged with child abuse
- Franke and her business partner face felony child abuse charges
- A bond hearing planned for Monday was moved to October
- The four minor children have been removed from Franke's custody
Housing developments are shown in Ivins, Utah, on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. A Utah woman who gave online parenting advice via a once popular YouTube channel has been arrested on suspicion of aggravated child abuse after her malnourished son escaped out a window and ran to a nearby house for help, authorities said. Ruby Franke, whose now defunct channel “8 Passengers” followed her family, was arrested Wednesday night, Aug. 30, 2023, in the southern Utah city of Ivins. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP)
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(NewsNation) — A bond hearing was continued to October in the case of a Utah mother and her business partner who were arrested after an emaciated child reportedly escaped to a neighbor’s house to ask for food.
The hearing to determine whether Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt would be released on bond while their case plays out in court was originally scheduled for Monday. The morning of the hearing, attorneys asked for additional time and the matter was continued to Oct. 5, according to NewsNation’s local Utah affiliate ABC4.
Frankel and Hildebrandt were arrested in August on charges of aggravated child abuse. The investigation began with a 911 call from a neighbor who reported that an emaciated child with tape around his legs knocked on the front door and asked for food.
The child had reportedly escaped from a basement window in a house that Hildebrandt owned, ABC4 reported.
Four minor children were taken into the care of the Department of Children And Family Services during the course of the investigation, according to a news release.
The women were to known to some for their YouTube channels, where they spoke about family values, parenting and mental health.
