Ruby Franke’s Daughter Opens Up About Parenting YouTuber’s Extreme Views, Abuse

LOADING ERROR LOADING The daughter of a once-popular family vlogger now in prison for child abuse is providing new insight into her mother’s extreme religious beliefs and harsh, excessive discipline — and how it continued for years even as cameras were rolling. Ruby Franke’s views on parenting and discipline became “increasingly alarming,” Shari Franke said after her mom partnered in 2022 with Hildebrandt, 57, a counselor. Although Shari, her family’s neighbors and concerned social media followers repeatedly contacted social services, she said Utah’s “free-range parenting” law made it difficult for authorities to intervene. You cannot put welts on your child’s legs and then lovingly apply gauze and expect healing.” Shari said that watching a documentary about Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell, the Utah doomsday cult couple who were each convicted of killing two of her children — whom they claimed had been possessed by demons — felt “horribly familiar.” “They were immersed in the same extreme religious beliefs and doomsday preparations as Jodi and Ruby” — who she said had traveled to Mexico to stockpile antibiotics along with food in anticipation of a prophesied religious apocalypse — “and the way this family spiraled into darkness felt horribly familiar.” “It wasn’t until watching that documentary that my hope faded into the darkest thoughts I’d had yet — Ruby and Jodi were just as unhinged as Chad and Lori, if not worse,” Shari said. Her mother and Hildebrandt blamed “coddled” children — including babies — for society’s ills, Shari said.