Ruby Franke was arrested for child abuse, but does her estranged husband, Kevin Franke, now have custody of their kids?
The former couple share six kids, with the eldest — Shari and Chad — being the only ones who have preferred to remain in the public eye. The rest of the children — who are all still minors — have remained private after being the focus of daily vlogs that showcased Ruby’s days as a stay-at-home mom.
In 2023 Ruby, 43, and her friend Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested and charged with six counts of felony child abuse. Ruby pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse in December 2023 and admitted she tortured her children. As part of her plea deal, she agreed to serve a prison term and agreed that her sentences would run consecutively. She also agreed to testify against Hildebrandt, who pleaded guilty.
Kevin, 46, for his part, had not been in communication with Ruby or their kids for over a year when the arrests took place. He has since filed for divorce from Ruby and filed for custody. As of April 2024, the children were still within the custody of Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services.
“He just wants to do what’s best for his kids and get them back, get them under his tutelage and his fathership and protect them,” Kevin’s attorney Randy Kester said in a statement at the time.
Amid his case in juvenile court — which has been sealed — Kevin sued Hildebrandt for intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress and negligence for him and his children.
“[Kevin] is making an effort to rebuild and bridge these relationships rather than sling mud and point fingers,” his attorney noted in a separate statement about Kevin’s focus on fatherhood. “He is focused on doing what is best for his kids at this point, even if that means undergoing some introspection.”
In paperwork obtained by Page Six, Kevin filed a motion in 2024 requesting Hildebrandt be financially responsible for his kids’ ongoing medical care, as she caused “aggravated psychological and emotional injuries.”
“It is clear and admitted that the children suffered immediate and continuing irreparable harm as a result of the crimes perpetrated upon them by [Hildebrandt],” read the motion.
Kevin requested that the judge prevent the liquidation or transfer of Hildebrandt’s assets. It was later ruled that Hildebrandt must set aside $100,000 for the minors after the sale of her home is finalized.
More recently, Kevin advocated at the Child Welfare Legislative Oversight Panel for Utah state law to change so child welfare workers can take temporary custody of kids when they receive “reported red flags” from concerned citizens instead of waiting to receive additional evidence of child abuse.
“Perpetrators of child abuse rarely commit such acts out in public, but behind closed doors,” he shared in 2024. “These individuals should no longer be able to hide child abuse by simply ignoring the phone calls, and the door knocks from DCFS caseworkers.”
Ruby is currently serving a 4 to 30 year sentence at the Utah State Correctional Facility in Salt Lake City. She won’t appear before the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole — which determines the exact length of her sentence — until December 2026. The same applies for Hildebrandt, who is also serving her 4 to 30 year sentence at the Utah State Correctional Facility.
YouTube has banned Ruby and Hildebrandt and deleted the channels associated with their names. Hildebrandt’s counseling license was frozen following their arrest.
To report child abuse, consult the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Child Welfare Information Gateway for state-specific reporting phone numbers.
