A mum who runs a YouTube channel that shares parenting advice for millions of subscribers is facing jail time after pleading guilty to child abuse. The things she admits doing to her children are very f***ed up, so don’t read on if it’s going to upset you.

Ruby Franke runs YouTube channel ‘8 Passengers’, where she and her husband Kevin Franke amassed 2.3 million by advising on parenting styles an discipline methods.

Franke, 41, appeared in court in Washington County, Utah, this week, where she pled guilty to 4 counts of Aggravated Child Abuse (second degree felony, each count comes with 1-15 years prison time). There were two counts each for her youngest two children (9yo daughter and 11-12yo son). Here are the incredibly messed up details (via kutv):

Count 1: Physical abuse of 11-12yo son. The court document directly states: “The defendant’s actions involved the physical torture of [son].”. He was forced to do physical labor (including wall sits, carrying boxes of heavy books up and down stairs, & working outside in extremely hot temperatures) for hours or even days at a time. He was not allowed to wear shoes outside. He was not allowed food or water, sometimes for days at a time, and was physically punished if he was caught sneaking water. He was forced to stand in direct sunlight for days at a time, resulting in severe sunburns, blisters, and sloughing skin. When he was given food, it was plain and flavorless chicken and rice while others in the house are regular food. He was isolated from people and entertainment, including books and paper. He attempted to run away in July 2023, and afterwards was then regularly tied up. He would have his wrists and ankles bound and tied to either ruby herself or weighs. He was often hogtied, forced to lay on his stomach with wrists handcuffed behind his back, ankles handcuffed, and the two sets of cuffs tied together. This caused open wounds on his wrists and ankles, as well as muscle damage. The open wounds had honey and cayenne pepper rubbed into them, duct tape put over them, and handcuffs put back on over the duct tape. Ruby also admitted to kicking him repeatedly with boots on, holding his head underwater, and cutting off his oxygen by putting her hands over his mouth and nose.

Count 2: Emotional abuse of 11-12yo son. Obviously the emotional harm caused by count 1. Additionally, Ruby and another adult attempted to convince him he was evil and possessed, that he deserved and needed the physical abuse to repent his evil ways, and that the abusive acts were acts of love.

Count 3: Emotional abuse of 9yo daughter. Much the same as count 2. Of course the physical torture caused extreme emotional harm, plus she was convinced that she was evil and deserved the abuse. She was told the abuse was being done to help her, out of love.

Count 4: Physical abuse of 9yo daughter. Mostly the same as count 1, minus being bound and the specific acts in the last sentence of count 1. Her feet were repeatedly injured by being forced to work outside without shoes, and being forced to run on a dirt/gravel road for an extended period of time without shoes. She was also forced to stand in direct sunlight, resulting in severe sunburns (blisters and sloughing skin). Her feet were covered in scabs, blisters, & open wounds when she was rescued. She was denied food and water for extended periods of time.

Ruby Franke’s defense seems to be that she was encourage to abuse her children by business partner Jodi Firebrandt (who also appeared in court), and that he brainwashed her and led her to a ‘distorted sense of reality.’

So how did Franke’s abuses come to light? In August, her 12-year-old son climbed out of a window and ran to a neighbour’s house to ask for food and water, claiming he was being abused and neglected. The neighbour alerted the police, who turned up to Franke’s house and discovered the horrors for themselves.

Interestingly, there were some red flags on Ruby Franke’s YouTube channel, although no one could have imagined how bad the reality was. The Franke family shared some questionable parenting styles on their channel, including banning their eldest child from their bedroom for seven months.

The channel, which was created in 2015, has now been deleted and Ruby’s husband, Kevin, has filed for divorce. She is set to be sentenced by the court on 20 February, 2024. Business partner Jodi Hildebrandt is set to appear in court on 27 December.

For the man who killed his pet chickens by having sex with them as his wife filmed, click HERE.