Two sisters of Ruby Franke, the family vlogger charged with six counts of felony child abuse, said in video statements Wednesday they were unaware of her alleged behavior.
Julie Deru, who has a family channel called “Deru Crew Vlogs,” and Bonnie Hoellein, also a vlogger, published separate videos on their respective channels saying they had been out of touch with Franke for several years.
Franke and her husband, Kevin, had amassed 2.5 million subscribers on their now-removed family channel, “8 Passengers.” The channel featured vlogs with their six children.
Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, Franke’s business partner and regular collaborator, were arrested Aug. 30 and charged with six counts of felony child abuse by the Washington County, Utah, Attorney’s Office.
Law enforcement officers found one of Franke’s children with open wounds after the child escaped from Hildebrandt’s home. One of Franke’s other children was found in similar malnourished condition at Hildebrandt’s home. Four of the six children are minors and have been placed in the care of Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services.
