Shari Franke, the eldest daughter of YouTube family vlogger Ruby Franke, is revealing a deeply unsettling experience involving one of her five siblings in the upcoming Hulu docuseries Devil In The Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke. Set to premiere on Thursday, February 27, the series sheds light on the shocking events surrounding Franke’s rise to fame and the dark revelations that followed, including the allegations of child abuse that have rocked her family’s once-public persona.
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Ruby Franke’s eldest daughter shares details about abuse at home
In the new docuseries, Shari recalled how she helped her younger brother, Chad Franke to “clean blood off the walls” after he was “beat really bad.” About her brother she shared in the docuseries, “I did always feel bad when he got in trouble. He’d get a bloody nose and I’d bring him toilet paper and didn’t really know what to do,” as reported by People.
Ruby and Kevin Franke gained widespread attention by documenting their life as a family of eight in Utah on their popular YouTube channel, 8 Passengers. However, starting in 2020, viewers began raising concerns about the couple’s strict and controversial parenting methods. As the family vlogged their daily routines, many online criticised their disciplinary approach, leading to growing scrutiny of their actions and the impact they had on their children.
Chad also claimed in the docuseries that the abuse was hidden from the viewers as he recalled “times where she blew up off camera. She would spank, whip, take the belt out and whip my butt. Pull down my pants, whip me.” Initially, the couple dismissed the viewer’s concern about them taking away necessities as punishment, assuring that their brood of 6 was safe.
Shari was concerned about her siblings
In 2018, Ruby met a former sex therapist and founder of the religious social media network ConneXions, Jodi Hildebrandt. The pair later began a podcast advocating stricter parenting styles and Ruby, soon after, disowned Shari. She also asked her husband and Chad to leave the house. However, Shari became concerned about the safety of her other siblings over the years who continued to stay with Ruby.
In August 2023, Ruby Franke and Jodi were arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse after Shari’s 12-year-old brother escaped from Jodi’s home in Ivins, Utah, and alerted authorities to his malnutrition. While Ruby’s estranged husband, Kevin, was not charged, Shari later shared her experiences of abuse in her memoir, The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom.
Ruby and Jodi pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse in late 2023, and in February 2024, both women were sentenced to 4 to 30 years in prison, though the exact length of their sentences is still pending.
