Widely popular YouTube “momfluencer” Ruby Franke has been arrested on charges of aggravated child abuse. Franke's business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, has also been arrested on similar charges.

Officers were dispatched to Franke's household after one of Franke's children climbed out of a window and ran to a neighbor's home just before 11:00 a.m. last Wednesday. The child, who is believed to be a 12-year-old girl, was allegedly asking for food and water.

Neighbors reported observing the 12-year-old child's wrists and ankles bound by duct tape, prompting them to call local authorities. The Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department later put out a statement that explained, "The calling party stated the juvenile appeared to be emaciated and malnourished, with open wounds and duct tape around the extremities."

Officials say that after they arrived at the home, they found a second child, a 10-year-old girl, in another residence. That home belonged to Franke’s business partner Jodi Hildebrandt.

Both children were treated by responding Santa Clara-Ivins EMS and taken to a local hospital where it was determined they were suffering from malnutrition and dehydration according to police.

After a search warrant was obtained, officials continued their investigation into the home and took a total of four children into the care of Family and Child Services.

Franke, the Utah mom behind the widely popular YouTube channel, “8 Passengers,” rose to internet popularity after she and her husband launched the channel in 2015. Over the years, Franke has amassed nearly 2.3 million subscribers and puts out regular videos documenting life with her six children.

Many families found the YouTube family’s interaction relatable. However, since at least 2020, viewers and other YouTubers began to voice concern over Franke's harsh, strict treatment of her children. In one video, Franke can be seen talking about a punishment her son received after pranking a younger sibling. The punishment included forcing her child to sleep on a bean bag in the family home's living space after his room was taken away from him. Franke later defended her actions, telling Insider that she separated her 15-year-old from his younger brother because of behavioral problems and that her 15-year-old chose to sleep on a beanbag instead of moving to a different room in the house.

Franke has also faced backlash for other videos, including one where she refused to bring her 6-year-old child lunch after they forgot to pack their food. Another video portrayed Franke threatening to throw away her children's belongings if they didn’t pay her in an effort to teach her kids the “value of their items.”

Franke’s family members appeared to support law enforcement’s decision to arrest her. Franke’s eldest daughter, Shari Franke, 20, posted a photo on her Instagram story of police officers swarming the home. The post was captioned “Finally.”

The 20-year-old later shared in an Instagram story post that explained “Hi all. Today has been a big day. Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up."

Franke's three sisters, who are also in the content creation space, seemed to support the arrest as well. In a joint Instagram post, the three shared “Needed to happen,” adding, “For the past 3 years, we have kept quiet on the subject of our sister Ruby Franke for the sake of her children. Behind the public scene we have done everything we could to try and make sure the kids were safe.”

Hildebrandt is the founder and creator of ConneXions Classroom. Her therapy-based service touts itself as “a different modality of healing that psychotherapy cannot offer you." Shari Franke has openly criticized the group for its “extreme beliefs.”