The moment Jodi Hildebrandt’s house was infiltrated by police in August 2023 is shown in a new documentary looking into the horrid case of Ruby Franke and her accomplice.
Franke made a name for herself as a content creator on YouTube as she shared insights into her family life in Utah with her six children.
The now defunct '8 Passengers' offered parenting advice to viewers and showed how Franke handled home-schooling, cooking, and spending time with her children.
Franke was arrested along with her mentor, Jodi Hildebrandt, after her 12-year-old son escaped through the window of Hildebrandt's home and ran to a neighbor's house begging for food and drink with duct tape on his ankles.
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Both Franke and Hildebrandt pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse against two of Ruby Franke's children later in 2023. They both received four consecutive sentences of one to 15 years in prison, and will spend a maximum 30 years in prison (as per Utah law).
The moment Hildebrandt’s house was infiltrated is shown in ID's new documentary, Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence, which offers 'unprecedented insight into the motivations and disturbing relationship' between Franke and her accomplice.
In episode two of the new doc, Eric Clarke, Washington County Attorney, explained how officials quickly learnt it was a 'real bad case of child abuse'.
Police were alerted to the situation after Franke's then 12-year-old son escaped Hildebrandt’s house and rang a neighbor's doorbell.
The boy asked if he could be taken to the 'nearest police station', while also asking for food.
The neighbor immediately called the police, with the man telling a 911 operator: "I just had a 12 year old boy show up here at my front door asking for help. He’s emaciated. He’s got tape around his legs. He’s hungry and he’s thirsty."
A short time after, police were infiltrating Hildebrandt’s $5.3 million desert home in Ivins, with the documentary showing the former counsellor opening the door and telling officers she is on the phone to her attorney.
With guns up, police search the house and thankfully find a 'little girl' who is alive, after initially fearing the worse.
Officials found the child in a closet, with Clarke saying the nine-year-old was 'so afraid that she wouldn't come out of a closet' without permission from Hildebrandt.
It was't until the girl had an entire pizza and a full stomach that she felt comfortable to come out.
While all of this is going on, police were completing an extensive search of the house to 'find evidence of child abuse'.
They quickly found a panic room, as well as discovering a pair of handcuffs and rope.
Police also found a Murphy bed, cabinets, a refrigerator, a sink and some cleaning products in the room, too.
ID’s RUBY & JODI: A CULT OF SIN AND INFLUENCE will premiere across two nights on Monday, September 1 and Tuesday, September 2 from 9-11PM ET/PT. Episodes will be available to stream on HBO Max.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Topics: Ruby Franke, YouTube, Crime, US News, Film and TV
Callum Jones