After Ruby Franke got arrested on two counts of aggravated child abuse, fans of her now defunct channel, 8 Passengers, suddenly realized that the children had been pleading for help for years.
Utah family vlogger Ruby Franke and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, were arrested after Ruby’s 12-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter were rescued. The siblings were being kept in the Hildebrandt house with open wounds and duct tape tying their limbs together.
After the scandal went viral, fans began looking back to 2020 when Ruby’s son, Chad Franke, tried to hint at the abuse all six children were facing.
What Did Chad Franke Do In 2020?
In May 2020, Ruby Franke posted a video on her 8 Passengers YouTube channel discussing what her kids were up to. Chad Franke, who was 15 years old at the time, commented in the video that his video was “taken away for seven months.” He continued that he had been sleeping on a beanbag since October as a result of playing pranks on his brother, Russell.
Ruby later clarified that Chad and Russel used to share a room, but Chad was separated on a therapist’s recommendation. He was apparently given the option to sleep on an inflatable mattress. The video was later deleted from the channel.
However, fans were concerned about Chad as the channel had already accumulated controversies about child abuse over the years. A Change.org petition received over 17,800 signatures, prompting child protection services to make a visit.
According to Ruby and Kevin, the now-deleted video was about a bedroom reveal. He was excited to put up LED lights and was doing a makeover. “It never occurred to him that it would turn on us.”
They also said that the decision was taken after Chad subjected his siblings to years of “physical and emotionally damaging behavior.”
Where Is Chad Franke Now?
According to reports, Chad Franke, who turned 18 this year, has moved out of the house. Some VSCO pictures of Chad were uploaded by a Reddit user that shows him smiling and posing beside a pool. His current location and whereabouts are unknown.
Chad is the second oldest sibling among the six children of Ruby and Kevin Franke. After his family moved to Utah, Chad was pursuing his schooling at a Local High School in Utah. He actively appeared on the 8 Passengers channel.
On the multiple occasions that the Franke parents were accused of child abuse, Ruby and Kevin came out saying that it was their decision to discipline their children. They called for the criticizing videos and clips to be sliced and put together to make them look villainous.
The trend of parents using their too-young-to-consent children to create content is nothing new. However, it is causing irrevocable harm to the children. Ruby Franke’s case is one of the extreme cases, and we hope that the children are someday able to recover from the trauma.
After Ruby Franke’s arrest, Kevin’s attorney stated that the father wanted to keep the children together under his care.
Comment down below to offer well-wishes to the abused children, and let’s hope those who escape the hellscape can find a better life for themselves.
