Ruby Franke's Neighbors Say They Called CPS on Her Before Arrest, Claim She'd Leave Kids for 'Weeks'

Speaking with NBC News, one neighbor said she called Utah Division of Child and Family Services in September 2022, sharing the voicemail she allegedly received from CPS with the outlet, stating they were "talking with someone who has some concerns about someone in your area," before she witnessed authorities making a wellness check on the home -- however, nobody answered the door at the time.

The neighbors said "papers were put up in the windows of the home" after the visit; Health and Human Services Department didn't respond to NBC.

"Everyone is just breathing a collective sigh of relief, because we thought they were going to come out of that house with body bags," one of the sources said after Franke's arrest, as another claimed the mother-of-six "kicked her husband, Kevin, out of the home last year." The neighbors also alleged that Franke would withhold food as punishment for her kids, would leave the home "for weeks at a time, with the children inside" and "took away their Christmas one year" as punishment for "not repenting correctly."

One of her children, said a neighbor, would "wander" the neighborhood while her mother was away, looking for children to play with while all the kids nearby were in school.

"She would just knock on your door and say, 'Hi, can your kids play?'" they said. "And we're like: ‘Well, they’re at school. They won't be home for three or four hours.' And she’d be like, 'I'll wait.' She's like this lost child."

Ruby -- who ran the popular family-oriented YouTube channel 8 Passengers before pulling it down earlier this year amid criticism -- and her podcasting partner Jodi Hildebrand were both taken into custody by police in Utah last week. They have since been charged with aggravated child abuse.

According to the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safely Department, police received a call on Wednesday from a citizen after a child reportedly climbed out of a window at Hildebrand's home appearing "emaciated and malnourished." The caller said the child had "open wounds and duct tape around the extremities" and was asking for both food and water.

"The condition of the juvenile was so severe that they were seen by Santa Clara-Ivins EMS and transported to a local area hospital," said the release. After police received information that others "in similar condition" may be inside the home, they searched the residence and said they found "another juvenile in a similar physical condition of malnourishment."

That child was also taken to hospital for treatment.

The Public Safety Department said that after obtaining a search warrant, "evidence was located consistent with the markings found on the juvenile" -- adding that four minors were placed into the care of the Department of Child and Family Services. According to Fox 13 Now, Franke was seen on a YouTube video filmed at the home just days prior, with police saying the footage "adds to Ms. Franke ... being present in the home and having knowledge of the abuse, malnourishment and neglect."

Though only a brief comment on the situation, Randy S. Kester told Page Six late Thursday that his client Kevin Franke's "urgent focus is simply to keep his children together under his fatherly care."

It's unclear whether the two were still together at the time of Ruby's arrest; she hasn't posted anything with him to social media since February 2022, though the content on her page has shifted from family photos to promotional posts about her podcast.

TooFab has also reached out to his attorney for additional comment. The pair share six children between them; Shari, Chad, Abby, Julie, Russell and Eve.

Franke's oldest daughter Shari Franke took to her Instagram Story on Wednesday night to react to her mom's arrest.

"Finally," she wrote over a photo which appeared to show police outside the family home. Shari, who Insider claims has been "cut off" from her mother for some time, also shared a second post reading, "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 so glad they finally decided to step up."

She added that her siblings were "safe," but noted "there's a long road ahead" for them.

Following Ruby's arrest, her three sisters -- who are influencers themselves and have more than two million YouTube subscribers between them -- released a joint statement saying the arrest "needed to happen."

"For the last 3 years we have kept quiet on the subject of our sister Ruby Franke for the sake of her children," they wrote. "Behind the public scene we have done everything we could to try and make sure the kids were safe."

"Ruby was arrested which needed to happen," they continued. "Jodi was arrested which needed to happen. The kids are now safe, which is the number one priority."