Jodi Hildebrandt’s niece, Jessi, tells The Independent that understanding their aunt is imperative to understanding disgraced YouTuber Ruby Franke ahead of the release of a new documentary about the pair's child abuse scandal.
Franke, a Utah mother of six and former parenting YouTuber known for her channel 8 Passengers, and her business partner, therapist Hildebrandt, were arrested in August 2023 after Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped from Hildebrandt’s home and asked a neighbor for food and water. He was found malnourished, with open wounds bound by duct tape. Authorities later discovered Franke’s 10-year-old daughter in a similar condition.
