Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of child abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
Ruby Franke, who is now in prison along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt for abusing her kids, has her first parole hearing in 2026. Franke and Hildebrandt had pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse each. They are now serving their respective sentences in the Utah State Correctional Facility.
A former vlogger and a Utah mother-of-six, Franke used to run the now-defunct 8 Passengers YouTube channel. She gained fame by documenting her family’s life alongside her now-estranged husband, Kevin Franke, and their six children. However, the former couple often faced backlash as viewers considered their strict parenting strategies controversial.
Then, in late August 2023, the notorious case against Ruby Franke for abusing her kids first surfaced. Her son reportedly escaped from Jodi Hildebrandt’s home and went to a neighbor’s house asking for help. The women had bound the 12-year-old boy and were holding him captive at Hildebrandt’s house. Authorities later found one of Franke’s daughters also in the house.
Ruby Frank in prison: When will the convicted felon become eligible for parole?
ABC 4 reported that Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, now serving prison time, will have their first parole hearing in December 2026. Latest court documents revealed that Utah’s Board of Pardons and Parole scheduled their original hearing three years after they pleaded guilty. Both Franke and Hildebrandt had pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse each in December 2023.
The New York Times stated that authorities first arrested Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt on August 30, 2023. Their arrests came only hours after one of Franke’s kids, a 12-year-old boy, escaped from Hildebrandt’s home. The boy then walked to a neighbor’s house, asking for food and help. The neighbor told the police the child appeared “emaciated” and had duct tape on his ankles. Authorities then found Franke’s daughter in a similar condition inside a closet in the same house.
According to People Magazine, Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt received a similar amount of prison time after pleading guilty. They got four separate sentences of 1 to 15 years each on four counts of aggravated child abuse. Each term will run consecutively.
Since it first surfaced, the case against Franke and Hildebrandt has aired in an episode of ABC 20/20. The episode “Ruby Franke: From Momfluencer to Felon” is available to watch on Hulu and ABC Networks. Moreover, Impact X Nightline also chronicled the case in one of their episodes, which are now streaming on Hulu.
