YouTube channel 8 Passengers’ former family blogger, Ruby Frank, has been arrested on charges of child abuse while her children were present in Springville, Utah.
According to Washington County Sheriff’s website, Frank was arrested last night at 9:33 PM along with her business partner Jodi Holderness, who had collaborated with her on parenting advice and the YouTube channel and service “ConneXions.” Both were charged with two counts of child abuse involving their own high-profile children, whether intentionally or negligently.
Frank gained national attention in recent years when viewers of the now-deleted “8 Passengers” YouTube channel, which she ran with her husband Kyson Frank, began to speculate that this couple was engaging in mistreatment with their eight children. Before the platform’s removal, the controversial family blogging account had garnered almost 2.5 million subscribers at its peak.
Frank’s eldest daughter, Shari, has been speaking out on social media to some extent about her relationship with the family, which has led to further rumors and online theories. After the arrest on Wednesday, she shared a picture of a police car outside a house on her Instagram story with the caption “Finally.”
Who is Ruby Frank?
Ruby Frank is a mother of eight from Utah and a former popular family blogger YouTuber. She was one of the stars of the “8 Passengers” YouTube channel, which garnered millions of views and followers over the years, as they documented the lives of her and her husband Kyson Frank and their eight children: Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell, and Eve. She rose to particular prominence when Frank and her husband started a joint venture called “ConneXions,” which some online critics dubbed a cult. Their unorthodox parenting style drew sharp criticism from many, especially from LGBTQ+, anti-racist, and transgender activists, who accused them of extreme and harsh practices.
In one well-publicized incident, Frank told viewers that her children were not entitled to anything and should not receive unconditional love. “8 Passengers” was cited as an example in many discussions about problematic family blogging channels.
What is “8 Passengers”?
“8 Passengers” was a YouTube channel that began in 2015, focusing on the life of Ruby and Kyson Frank and their eight children. At its peak, it had 2.5 million subscribers and was known as one of the most famous – or infamous – family vlogging channels.
The channel was taken down from YouTube earlier this year, with Kyson continuing to post on a separate, less popular channel. While their content has attracted controversy for years, recent events have been especially damaging to the family’s reputation, as viewers began circulating petitions and reporting to local authorities allegations of child abuse and neglect seen in the videos.
One of the most notable incidents was when Frank refused to provide lunch for her 6-year-old daughter at school, who had forgotten her lunch, and another incident where one of her sons claimed he was being forced.
In another instance, she confiscated Christmas from one of her younger children as a “selfish” punishment. Many examples like these showed viewers that the treatment of their children seemed harsh and challenging to watch.
“8 Passengers” was only cited in a few of the Family Blogging channels for evidence of mistreatment of children. In response to this, Illinois recently passed a law aimed specifically at protecting minors appearing on monetized social media from controversial parents.
Why Was Ruby Frank Arrested?
According to local Fox 13 reports, the arrest documents state that a child from next door went to the Holderness’ residence door around 10:50 AM asking for food and water. The neighbor noticed that the child had bandages wrapped around their wrists and ankles and called the police.
When the police arrived, they found a child who was described as “severely malnourished and with open sores.” After sending this child to the hospital, the police found another child in the house who was also malnourished.
During the execution of a search warrant, police found evidence that matched “signs consistent with physical abuse” on a young person. The documents also mentioned that Frank had been seen filming at home a few days before, indicating her familiarity with the children’s conditions.
She is currently being held in Washington County Jail without bail.
Frank’s eldest daughter, Shari, celebrated the arrest on her Instagram story, saying, “Today is a big day. My family and I are very happy to finally get justice. We are trying to cooperate with the police and CPS (Child Protective Services) as much as possible.” She also requested that anyone sharing links or recordings of “8 Passengers” or “ConneXions” content on Google Drive, which is being used as evidence for collecting proof, report them.
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