Ruby Franke of Utah was arrested on suspicion of aggravated child abuse Wednesday.
A Utah mother who chronicled her strict parenting style on YouTube and other social media channels was arrested on suspicion of aggravated child abuse Wednesday after a child was found malnourished with open wounds and duct tape on their extremities, officials said.
Ruby Franke and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested in Ivins, a city in southern Utah. Franke hosted the now-defunct YouTube channel “8 Passengers,” where she posted videos about her parenting approach with her six children, including refusing them food as a form of punishment.
The Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department said in a statement that they had received a report about a child who appeared to be emaciated and malnourished and was asking for food and water. The child had duct tape on their ankles and wrists, as well as open wounds.
Police responded to a nearby home and found another child in similar condition. Both children were taken to a hospital.
Police contacted the Utah Division of Child and Family Services, and a total of four children were taken into its care.
Franke and Hildebrandt were arrested on suspicion of two counts of aggravated child abuse, although charges have not yet been filed, according to court records.
