Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
Footage has been released of the distressing moment Ruby Franke’s 12-year-old son showed up ‘emaciated’ at a neighbour’s house to ask for help.
The disgraced former YouTube vlogger was sentenced in August 2023 to a maximum of 30 years behind bars, after the youngest of her six children escaped from the family home and alerted a neighbour, following months of torture and starvation.
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Utah police subsequently discovered a handful of items in 43-year-old Ruby's basement, many of which she and close friend Jodi Hildebrandt had used to inflict both physical and emotional pain onto her kids.
The young boy was held captive by his abusive influencer mother and family therapist. In the video he can be seen ringing a neighbour’s door after escaping at 10.46am on 30 August, according to Ring camera footage which was released by the Washington County Attorney’s Office.
The neighbour did not immediately answer the door and the boy, referred to in court documents as 'RF', began to walk away. But when the neighbour did answer the door, a man’s voice can be heard saying: “Yes?”
RF turned around and began speaking to the man as he approached. “Hey,” the child says. “I was just wondering if you could do two favours.”
“Well, what are they?” the neighbour responds after RF paused.
“If you could take me to the nearest police station. Well, actually just one favour is fine,” he eventually said.
“What’s going on, son?” the concerned neighbour asked as he walked through the doorway to meet the child on the porch. “Have a seat there,” he said, referring to a chair close to the door.
RF later told officers he climbed out of one of the home’s windows where he had been held captive. He made his way about the distance of a block in intense heat to the neighbour’s house to get help for himself and his siblings.
Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested hours later.
The two women pleaded guilty in December to four counts of aggravated child abuse. They’ll spend between four and 30 years in prison based on sentencing limitations in the state of Utah.
According to Franke’s plea agreement obtained by People, she and Hildebrandt forced Ruby’s youngest children, RF and another child referred to as EF, to work in scorching heat for hours with little food or water.
RF previously tried to escape a month before he was able to ask a neighbour for help. His mother said she bound his hands and feet with two sets of handcuffs after his escape attempt in July.
Franke told officers her two youngest children were 'evil and possessed', and admitted to denying them of both food and water on several occasions, handcuffing her son's wrists and ankles and holding him underwater.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.
Topics: Crime, True Crime, US News
Gregory Robinson