Families all around the world start up Youtube channels, in hopes of one day gaining the attention of viewers. Some genuinely care about documenting their family lifestyle, while others try to capitalize on an opportunity to turn it into an act that in reality, may go too far. This is exactly what happened to the Youtube channel “8 Passengers”.
In 2015, Ruby Franke started up a family Youtube Channel that shared the daily lives of her, her husband, Kevin Franke, and their six kids, which was titled “8 Passengers”. At first they seemed like another normal suburban family, but as time went on it became notable that something was off. Franke would act harsh towards her kids in a way that led to viewers commenting on it. The situation that caught the eye of subscribers was when Franke took away her oldest son, Chad’s, bedroom for 7 months. Behind closed doors, there was much more abuse occurring then it was seen to the public. Once this situation surfaced, there were thousands of hate comments and a large loss of followers because of Ruby behavior towards Chad. Once Frankes true, harsh character came out, she decided to re-branded the channel into a Mormon focused parenting page alongside her family’s therapist and fellow co-worker Jodi Hildebrandt.
Documentary: the unseen
On February 27th 2025 a documentary series ‘Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke’, on Hulu, exposed the lies and secrets of the family. The series captures the off camera scenes of Franke scolding her kids, yelling “If I hear one more word! Get out!” when filming, as well as telling them to “fake being happy” to encourage a fake family image. It was also uncovered how Kevin Franke, Chad Franke, and Shari Franke were all blocked out of the family’s life for most of when the abuse was occurring. More unseen footage was from a neighbor’s camera when Franke’s youngest son approached the house, asking for a ride to the police station after escaping Hildebrandt’s house. Pictures were shown of his malnutrition being cut slim to the bone. He had tape and marks on his body in which he was eventually taken to the hospital. Police cameras caught the search warrant on Hildebrandt’s house, when they found another sibling, along with zip ties, rope, and tape in a secret room. Although these secrets were only just uncovered, it has already been public that on August of 2023 Ruby Franke, and Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested for child abuse, pleading guilty on six counts, in which each could serve up to 30 years in prison.
Documentary: the now
Franke’s two oldest kids, Chad and Shari as well as her husband, Kevin Franke were interviewed for the documentary, and spoke out regarding the agonizing story. Four of the other kids were not interviewed, mentioned by name, nor had their faces on camera due to the fact that they are all still minors.
Kevin Franke explains how this situation was unbelievable and horrible. He tells the story with some unknown knowledge as he was separated from Ruby for over a year. Even though there is hatred for who Ruby was now, he explains that “The actions that she did were atrocious, but I still feel a longing to miss her.”
When Chad was younger he was seemling one of the closest to Ruby as well as the most troublesome. He himself even mentions how he was kicked out of school. Chad also worked closely with Jodi Hildebrandt, and explained that it did truly make an influence in his behavior, although it was cruel at times. In the end, he comes out making jokes in sharing his trauma, even though he was beaten and punished brutally. It was made clear he still speaks about his mom with care and consideration referencing who she used to be, even after all of the abuse he experienced.
Shari out of the three of them who spoke out was the harshest towards Ruby as well as Kevin Franke. She refers to her mom and dad as Ruby and Kevin constantly holding both accountable for the harm and evil the kids were put through. Talking about Chad, she explains “He got beat really badly one time… and I helped him clean the blood off the walls.”
Many still have lots of questions. In the documentary, it shows Kevin Franke participating in some controversial behavior towards his kids, but he still never got arrested alongside Ruby. His statements along with a further investigation proved he didn’t have any part in the abuse. Some still wonder how he didn’t obtain any charges himself and was actively in the documentary series. Not only are people questioning Kevin, but also where the other kids are. It hasn’t been made clear on the current whereabouts of the other four kids for privacy reasons, and for their own privacy. The newsletter “Glamour” stated, “On February 18, 2025, two of the four youngest Franke kids, age 16 and 11, spoke out in statements read by their father at a House Business, Labor, and Commerce Committee hearing in Utah.” This demonstrates in some way they are still involved but doesn’t give enough insight to make a claim.
The shocking story of Ruby Franke, and the “8 Passengers” serves as a reminder of some dangers behind social media fronts. As the legal process moves along, the hope for justice and healing remains for the Franke kids through this difficult time.
