MOM OR MONSTER?

She portrayed the image of the perfect family, but this momfluencer was recently arrested for abusing and starving her kids

- MAXINE PETERS

TO THE outside world she was a mom raising six kids, a devout Mormon and a hard taskmaster.

Ruby Franke made a name for herself and her husband, Kevin, documenting their family ’s daily life on YouTube with her hugely popular channel, 8 Passengers.

She shared her slice-of-life videos of suburban America with her 2,5 million followers and generously doled out parenting advice. But the image Ruby tried to portray has forever been shattered by disturbing evidence that paints her more as a monster than a mom trying to do her best for her brood.

Her kids have claimed she beat and starved them when the cameras stopped rolling and their home was more house of horrors than nurturing environment.

Ruby (41) and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, were recently arrested and charged with multiple counts of child abuse after Ruby’s emaciated 12-year-old son, Russell, escaped from Jodi’s home in Ivins, Utah, and ran to a neighbour begging for food and water.

The neighbour noticed he had duct tape around his ankles and wrists and called the police who found the boy was malnourished.

According to a statement by the authorities, Russell also had deep lacerations from being tied up with rope and duct tape around his extremities.

After searching the home they found Ruby’s 10-year-old daughter, Eve, in a similar malnourished state. The two starving children were hospitalised and are now in protective custody along with their siblings, Chad (18), Abby (16) and Julie (14).

Ruby’s eldest, Shari (20), who’s estranged from her mom, welcomed the news of her mother’s arrest. She shared a picture of cops outside the home along with the word “Finally”.