Influencer Ruby Franke's Neighbor Says Child Abuse Charges Were 'Shocking'

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00:00 YouTuber Ruby Frankie's neighbor is speaking out for the first time following her arrest

00:04 on charges of child abuse. In an interview with People Magazine, a neighbor who lived

00:09 near Frankie for years admitted she was surprised by the arrest, telling the mag,

00:14 quote, "It was definitely shocking." The neighbor, who spoke to People on the condition of anonymity,

00:20 did reveal some families in the neighborhood had seen troubling signs over the past year.

00:25 Quote, "I think we saw some weird things, but I don't think anybody thought that these

00:29 kids were being physically abused to that degree." According to Utah officials, Frankie was arrested

00:35 on charges of alleged child abuse after authorities found an emancipated and malnourished juvenile

00:40 with open wounds and duct tape on their extremities. YouTuber Ruby Frankie has been

00:46 arrested on charges of child abuse. According to Utah officials, the former 8 Passengers content

00:52 creator and mom was arrested after authorities found an emaciated and malnourished juvenile

00:58 with opened wounds and duct tape on their extremities. The condition of the juvenile

01:03 was so severe that they were seen by Santa Clara Ivans EMS and transported to a local hospital.

01:09 The Santa Clara Ivans Public Safety Department said in a press release, "Officials allegedly

01:14 found evidence that led them to a nearby home where another minor in similar condition was

01:19 located. That child was also taken to the hospital for treatment." Following a search of the house,

01:25 four juveniles were taken into care by the Department of Child and Family Services.

01:30 Ruby's business partner Jody Hildebrandt was also arrested on similar charges, officials confirmed.

01:37 The vlogger reportedly rose to fame for her now-debunked social media channel she started

01:42 with her husband, Kevin Frankie. Ruby then worked with Jody on parenting and relationship advice

01:47 videos for the controversial counseling service company, Connections. The platform has widely

01:52 been criticized for its content, including one recent video where the pair spoke about

01:57 children's privacy.

01:59 Thank you for bringing in the fact that privacy is not a principle of growth and development.

02:04 I know parents, they want their children to grow and develop and become mature adults. And you may

02:11 not hear this anywhere else, but privacy is not requisite for that. In fact, a lot of children

02:18 want their privacy, not all, a lot as a hiding place. And a lot of parents give privacy and

02:25 really it's neglect.

02:26 Ruby's eldest daughter Sherry took to Instagram to slam the company on Friday, claiming,

02:32 "Connections and moms of truth needs to go. Please report their Instagram accounts and

02:37 encourage everybody to unfollow them. They do not deserve such a large audience."

02:42 Ruby's sister took to social media to share an update on her own YouTube page where she boasts

02:47 nearly 1.4 million subscribers.

02:52 It is Thursday evening and this week has been nothing that I could have anticipated. I don't

03:01 think any of us could have really anticipated. If you have the internet, you have seen news

03:07 articles on my sister, Ruby, from the 8 Passengers. And my sisters and I, we are on the very same

03:19 page. We put out a message, you can read that on Instagram. And for the last three years, we have

03:28 truly clung on to each other and offering support to one another. And I don't think any of us could

03:36 have ever seen this coming. We all did as much as we could legally and you don't know what you

03:45 don't know. I do feel a little bit numb at this point. The only thing that we ultimately care

03:54 about is that our nieces and nephews are safe and they are. And that is the only thing that matters

03:59 to any of us. It is going to feel weird for me to move forward. And I think, I mean, do I just

04:08 move forward? -

04:11 It's taking a day at a time. Who knows what anything has in store, but we just know right

04:19 now that those kids are safe. -

04:22 I don't have any thoughts even for myself. I don't know what I would even tell myself,

04:26 let alone tell all of you. -

04:27 She also shared a statement on Instagram alongside her other sisters, writing,

04:32 "For the last three years, we have kept quiet on the subject of our sister, Ruby Frankie,

04:37 for the sake of her children. Behind the public scene, we have done everything we could to try

04:42 and make sure the kids were safe. We wouldn't feel right about moving forward with regular content

04:47 without addressing the most recent events. Once we do, we will not be commenting on it further.

04:52 Ruby was arrested, which needed to happen. Jodi was arrested, which needed to happen.

04:57 The kids are now safe, which is the number one priority."

05:00 NBC News has reached out to reps for Ruby and Jodi for comment. According to online records

05:06 from the Washington County Sheriff's Office, both women remain in custody as of Friday.

05:21 (upbeat music)

05:24 (upbeat music)

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