Ruby Franke, the YouTuber who gained fame through her channel “8 Passengers” with 2.5 million subscribers, was convicted of child abuse. Her children, Chad and Shari Franke, came forward in the documentary “Devil in the Family,” revealing chilling details of her abuse. The two described their lives with their abusive mother and how it affected their childhood. The documentary is already out on the 27th of February 2025. If you are someone who wants to know what exactly happened and how to watch the documentary, this article is for you.
8 Passengers Docuseries Out Now: Where To Watch?
The docuseries covering 8 Passengers fame Ruby Franke is available for you to watch on Hulu. If you have a Disney+ subscription, you can also stream the series over it. The documentary series covers the story of how Ruby Franke’s abusive parenting style ruined her children’s childhood. The gruesome tale of abuse serves as a wake-up call for everyone who is easily influenced by the lifestyle of people they see online. It reminds the audience how different reality usually is in comparison to what these influencers show over the internet.
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How Did Ruby Franke Rose To Fame?
Ruby Franke rose to fame through her parenting channel named “8 Passengers” where she showcased her life with her 6 children. The channel earned her enough money to move into their new bigger home. However, the audience quickly saw through her style of parenting. Many raised questions about her parenting style and how snatching basic amenities is not the ideal way to discipline your children. Ruby, at that time, dismissed the concerns stating her children were safe.
How Did Jodi Hildebrandt Get Involved In The Case?
Jodi Hildenbrandt, the founder of ConneXions, was an acquaintance of Ruby’s family friend. She was a supposed counselor for parents and children who came in for Chad. However, she did absolutely nothing to help the children. It was later reported that Ruby’s extremism was influenced by Jodi. The counselor lied about her being in direct contact with God and instructed Ruby to punish her children for their supposed sins. Ruby also kicked out her husband, Kevin, and son, Chad, on her instructions and then disowned her daughter, Sheri, when she tried to contact her dad.
What Led To Ruby Franke’s Downfall?
Sheri got really concerned for her siblings after discovering that Jodi had lost her counselor license due to multiple complaints filed against her. Hence, she contacted Child Protective Services and the police. Ruby’s neighbors also gathered when the officers came, really concerned for her children. However, no one opened the door and the officers did not have warrants. No arrests happened that day. Soon after, her 12-year-old son escaped through the window with duct tape around his legs, asking for food. It was later revealed Jodi was the one who tied him up and used home remedies to treat the wounds from the restraints. Ruby and Jodi were finally arrested, revealing their gruesome tale of abuse to the world.
Sheri And Chad Reveal Chilling Details Of Their Traumatic Childhood
In the first episode, Sheri and Chad revealed chilling details of their traumatic childhood in their mother’s home. Sheri mentioned how she always felt bad when Chad would get into trouble. Ruby would give Chad a bloody nose. Sheri would bring toilet paper to him, not knowing what else to do. Sheri also revealed Ruby beat Chad so much that she had to help him clean his blood off the walls. She forced her sons to perform long tasks in scorching heat as a punishment for their sins. Ruby also often denied him proper food. She gave him only plain food when the rest of the family had flavored meals. Ruby and Jodi were convicted of 4 counts of child abuse. They were sentenced to 4-30 years in jail. However, the court has not decided on the definite period of their sentence yet.
