An offhand statement by Ruby Franke's associate could prove 'very, very damaging' at trial, attorney says

• YouTubers Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested and charged with child abuse.
• During the arrest, Hildebrandt said Franke's children "should never be allowed around any other kids."

The statement made by Jodi Hildebrandt when she was arrested on Wednesday along with momfluencer Ruby Franke may come back to haunt her in an upcoming trial.

The duo were charged with six felony child abuse counts, with police detailing Franke 12-year-old son's harrowing escape from Hildebrandt's home.

The child climbed out of a window and sought help from a neighbor, according to a police affidavit that was shared with Insider. He was described in the documents as emaciated and wounded, with duct tape around his ankles.

The boy was taken to a hospital with deep lacerations from being tied up with rope and malnourishment, the affidavit said. Another child was then also found at the residence — Franke's 10-year-old daughter.

The arrest followed years of concerns about Franke and her family, with viewers raising the alarm back in 2020, and neighbors repeatedly calling child protective services and the police about strange activity in their Utah home.

The arrest affidavit states that Franke had "knowledge of the abuse, malnourishment and neglect," as she was filming videos in Hildebrandt's home just two days prior to the arrest.

Franke did not make a statement at the time, but Hildebrandt did.

"Ms. Hildebrandt requested a lawyer and did not speak with us," the affidavit reads. "Once given her charges, Ms. Hildebrandt informed me (the children) should never be allowed around any other kids."

Criminal defense attorney and legal commentator Natalie Whittingham-Burrell, who has been covering the case on her YouTube channel, told Insider the jury in any upcoming trial is likely to hear the statement Hildebrandt made because it could be used as evidence of the abuse.

"I think that that would indicate that she was aware of the abuse that was being committed against the children, or participating in it," Whittingham-Burrell said. "And believed that it was justified in some way because of some perceived danger of the children."

She said this statement may give the prosecution the opportunity to look into all of Hildebrandt and Franke's old YouTube content, which have been the subject of much discussion and analysis from viewers for years.

Prosecutors could argue to cite anything where they state their "ideals on parenting and families and use that against them."

"I think she really did herself a disservice making that statement," Whittingham-Burrell said.

Franke rose to fame as the mother of the family vlogging channel 8 Passengers, which grew to 2.5 million subscribers at its peak. In 2023 she started getting heavily involved in Hildebrandt's family counseling business and YouTube channel ConneXions instead.

The channel aims to "help treat those lost and stranded in the darkness of distortion," and focuses heavily on parenting. It has faced its own allegations of being overly authoritarian in its messaging, with both Hildebrandt and Franke advocating absolute control over children. (ConneXions has now been taken down, YouTube confirmed to Insider on Friday.)

Whittingham-Burrell said she advises people not to speak to police without an attorney present. This is simply to protect everyone's rights, she said, and "make the state prove their case" rather than giving them any help.

"If you fail to testify or to make a statement, the jury is instructed that they can't use that against you," she said. "So she would've been better off remaining silent, and she just didn't do that.

"So that statement is going to be very, very damaging to her case."

Franke and Hildebrandt are both due in court for initial hearings on Friday.