Ruby Franke documented her days as a six-time mom on her YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, before she was arrested on aggravated child abuse charges in August 2023.
By that time, the family vlogger had separated from husband Kevin Franke, with whom she shares Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell and Eve. He has since filed for divorce.
While Kevin has repeatedly maintained his innocence, Ruby’s sister Bonnie Hoellein condemned him for not “check[ing] in on things” in a September 2023 YouTube video.
She and siblings Julie Deru and Ellie Mecham claimed that they had been doing “everything [they] could to try and make sure the kids were safe … behind the public scene.”
In December 2023, Ruby pleaded guilty to child abuse and admitted to holding one of her kids’ head underwater in shocking court documents detailing starvation, hard labor and more tortures.
Get to know the disgraced influencer’s family members below as she faces up to 60 years in prison.
Shari Franke
Ruby and Kevin’s eldest child, daughter Shari, was born in March 2003.
The little one’s interests in softball, speedy Rubik’s cube solves and more were documented on the family’s channel.
She went on to start her own channel on the platform in 2018.
Shari was estranged from her mom by the time Ruby was taken into custody — but reacted via Instagram, writing, “Finally.”
She added, “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 [are] so glad they finally decided to step up.”
Shari gave her followers an update on her mental health in October, writing that “therapy literally saved [her]” and her life was “somehow more beautiful and fulfilling, despite all the terrible things going on.”
Chad Franke
Chad, born in February 2005, is Shari and Kevin’s eldest son.
He made headlines in 2020 for claiming he slept on a beanbag for several months when his “bedroom was taken away” due to pranks he played on younger brother Russell.
In a since-deleted video, Chad’s parents alleged he was given the option to sleep on a pullout guest bed, an inflatable mattress or somewhere else in the house.
Kevin defended the parenting decision at the time.
In an Insider interview, the then-associate professor said his son had been engaging in “physical and emotional damaging behavior” prior to the punishment.
Many fans believe Chad had moved out of the Franke family home by the time Ruby was arrested, but his whereabouts have not been confirmed.
Abby Franke
Ruby gave birth to baby No. 3 in April 2007, welcoming daughter Abby.
The teenager’s skin struggles were documented on the family’s YouTube channel, with Ruby filming her “physically painful” breakouts.
“I’m so proud of you for being so grounded,” Ruby said in one resurfaced video. “What’s really important in life is not your skin, it’s not your looks, it’s not anything on the outside of you. It’s who you are.”
Julie Franke
Julie joined the family in January 2009 and was named after one of her aunts.
In her guilty plea, Ruby admitted to telling one of her sons he was “evil and possessed” and punished to help him “repent” — and to doing the same to one of her daughters.
The mom of six did not identify the daughter in question.
Russell Franke
Ruby and Kevin’s youngest son, Russell, was born in July 2011.
The proud dad praised the “mature” little one’s “ability to empathize and to connect with other people” while celebrating his birthday in a since-deleted video.
Ruby, for her part, said, “I like Russell’s sincerity. I don’t think he’d know how to tell a lie if he tried. He’s so honest.”
Eve Franke
Ruby and Kevin’s sixth child, daughter Eve, arrived in September 2013.
Eve once forgot to pack her school lunch, with Ruby making headlines for refusing to bring it to her in order to teach the little one a lesson.
“She is just going to have to go hungry,” Ruby told the subscribers of her now-defunct channel. “My hope is she will be hungry and come home and be like, ‘That was really painful being hungry all day, I’ll make sure to always have a lunch with me.'”
