The true story behind Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hilderbrandt Story

In the summer of 2023, a shocking case of child abuse came to light in Ivins, Utah, involving two women who built their careers on giving parenting advice. Ruby Franke, a popular YouTube mom with millions of followers on her "8 Passengers" channel, teamed up with Jodi Hildebrandt, a licensed mental health counselor.

Together, they ran ConneXions Classroom, sharing tips on family life and discipline through videos and seminars. But behind the scenes, their methods turned harmful. Franke's 12-year-old son escaped from Hildebrandt's home, where he had been staying.

He was found emaciated, with open wounds and duct tape on his ankles, begging a neighbor for food and help. Police discovered Franke's 9-year-old daughter hiding in a closet, also malnourished. Both women were arrested on August 30, 2023, and charged with multiple counts of aggravated child abuse. 

The case uncovered actions inspired by radical religious ideologies; it was instilled in the children that they were possessed by evil spirits and required severe punishments in order to seek repentance. This is a true-crime tale that brings forth how an online influence can hide deep harm.

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story is a documentary directed by Skye Borgman that unravels these events. Launching on Netflix on December 30, 2025, it will be globally available for subscribers to stream.

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story: The rise of Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt's online partnership

Ruby Franke started her YouTube journey in 2015 with the "8 Passengers" channel, showing daily life with her husband Kevin and six children in a suburban Mormon home. The videos covered homeschooling, meals, and family moments, quickly gaining two million subscribers.

Franke shared strict parenting ideas, like making her six-year-old go without lunch to learn responsibility. In one clip, she explained that withholding food helped children become masters of themselves. By 2020, controversy grew when she revealed her teenage son slept on a beanbag for seven months as punishment for pranks, sparking petitions and child welfare checks.

The channel slowed, and Franke deleted many videos in 2021, as per the BBC. In 2019, Franke sought counseling for her son from Jodi Hildebrandt, founder of ConneXions Classroom, a mental health service offering family advice. Hildebrandt became Franke's paid mentor, guiding her in life and faith.

By June 2022, they launched the ConneXions YouTube channel and "Moms of Truth" Instagram, promoting honest parenting without coping strategies like social media. They held seminars and earned money from their content, presenting as role models. 

Franke credited the partnership with helping her family, but it marked a shift to more isolated views. Kevin Franke joined a men's group led by Hildebrandt in 2020, which briefly aided their marriage, but tensions rose as Ruby grew closer to her. The duo's online reach hid growing private strains, according to ABC News.

The escape that exposed the hidden abuse shown in Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story

On Aug. 30, 2023, Franke's 12-year-old son, identified as "R" in court documents, climbed out a window at Hildebrandt's Ivins home, where he had been staying for months. He sprinted to the door of a neighbor and asked for food, water, and a ride to the police.

The boy seemed emaciated and injured, with duct tape wrapped around his ankles and wrists and deep lacerations from ropes. He told the neighbor that he was tied up after attempting to escape and was later punished for secretly drinking water. A police bodycam captured the incident, as reported by CNN.

The police came to the house, where Franke and Hildebrandt were seen loading box-like things into a car, apparently about to leave. They searched the house, discovering Franke's 9-year-old daughter hiding in the closet, petrified and malnourished, with a shaved head and marks on her body from beatings.

She was forced to run barefoot on rough roads and make jumps into a cactus as punishment. Four of Franke's children were removed from the home on this day. Franke and Hildebrandt were both arrested on charges of aggravated child abuse, having a combined total of six charges against each of them.

Franke's son was immediately rushed to a hospital for treatment of malnutrition and injuries. Kevin Franke, Franke's ex, who separated from Ruby in 2022, heard about the incident through the news, calling it horrific, as per the BBC.

The acts of abuse and the role of religious beliefs

Court records described mistreatment inflicted upon the children between May and August 2023, which was related to spiritual correction. The children were subjected to starvation, food and water were withheld, and they were forced to labor outdoors without shoes in the summer heat, which caused severe sunburns and blisters.

The boy was handcuffed and roped, his limbs pulled off the ground, cutting into his skin and exposing muscle. Wounds were treated with cayenne pepper, honey, and duct tape rather than receiving proper medical attention.

The girl was isolated and had her head shaved; she was required to perform wall sits, among other punitive labor activities, and had to sleep outside. Prosecutors have tied the harm to religious extremism, wherein Hildebrandt and Franke considered the children to be possessed by demons, according to the BBC.

They told the boy he was evil and needed repentance through pain, calling it an act of love. Franke's journal, released in redacted form, described fasting, sun exposure, and prayers to cast out Satanic choices.

Hildebrandt, believing she spoke for God, led these sessions. Kevin Franke later described Hildebrandt entering possession mode, speaking in voices and claiming to be Satan's bride, which he tried to counter as an exorcist, as per CNN.

Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story: The court case, sentencing, and family impact 

On December 18, 2023, Ruby Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse, admitting she caused serious harm to her children. Jodi Hildebrandt followed on December 27, also pleading guilty to four counts and two dismissed.

Both deals spared a full trial to avoid more trauma for the kids. In court, Franke said she was disoriented, mistaking wrong for right, and took full blame. According to the BBC, Hildebrandt expressed regret and love for the kids while wishing for their recovery.

Sentencing occurred on February 20, 2024, in Washington County Court. Judge John Walton gave each woman four consecutive terms of one to 15 years, totaling at least four years but up to 30 years served, with the rest concurrent.

Prosecutors called it one of the worst abuse cases, warning of Hildebrandt's risk to influence others. Kevin Franke sought the maximum penalty and filed for divorce, having lived apart since 2022 under the woman's rules.

Franke's eldest daughter welcomed the arrests on social media, noting the children's long recovery ahead. Her sisters agreed justice was needed, as reported by ABC News. 

Watch Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story, releasing on December 30, 2025, on Netflix.