Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.

The daughter of former YouTuber and convicted child abuser Ruby Franke has spoken out after her mom was sentenced to four consecutive sentences of up to 15 years in prison.

Shari Franke, the eldest daughter of Franke, has spoken out about her experiences in a new memoir titled The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom.

Who is Ruby Franke?

Franke made a name for herself as a content creator on YouTube as she shared insights into her life in Utah with her six children.

Launched in 2015, her channel, ‘8 Passengers’, offered parenting advice to viewers and showed how she dealt with home-schooling, cooking, and generally sharing time with her kids.

However, some of her approaches proved controversial to viewers, including one moment in which she told her sons they would ‘lose the privilege to eat dinner’ if they carried on play-fighting.

What did Ruby Franke do?

In August 2023, Franke was arrested along with her mentor, Jodi Hildebrandt, after her 12-year-old son escaped through the window of Hildebrandt’s home and ran to a neighbor’s house, begging for food and water with duct tape still on his ankles.

The arrest record found the boy was suffering from malnourishment, as well as ‘deep lacerations from being tied up with rope’.

In 2023, both Franke and Hildebrandt pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse against two of Ruby Franke’s children, though that did not include Shari. They both received four consecutive sentences of one to 15 years in prison.

Ruby Franke was a popular YouTuber before her arrest (MSNBC)

What has Shari Franke said about her mom Ruby?

Shari spoke to Good Morning America host Eva Pilgrim about her experience living with her mom, though she’s noted in her book that she was cut off from the family when she left for college.

Shari claimed she was subject to abuse from her mother throughout her childhood, telling Pilgrim: “When I was younger, around, like, five, six, Ruby was really physical. Whether it was like a slap to the lip or – a slap to the cheek…when I would practice the piano, her hand would slam and it was really scary.”

In the wake of Franke’s guilty plea, Shari expressed belief her mom was ‘as sorry as she can be’.

“What she has done is so bad that I don’t think her mind allows her to kind of fully comprehend the guilt of all that. And so I think that she probably genuinely believed everything she said. I don’t believe it though,” she said.

When asked if there was anything she’d want to say to her mom directly, Shari said: “Probably tell her ‘I’m happy without you’. I was scared of her for so long, and I am here without her approval, and I am just fine.”

Shari Franke has released a book about her experience (Instagram/@sharilfranke)

What has Shari Franke said about Jodi Hildebrandt?

Shari described Hildebrandt in her book as a Mormon family counselor, and recalled how the nature of the alleged abuse she faced shifted from physical to more psychological after Hildebrandt entered their lives.

According to the daughter, Hildebrandt moved into the Franke home in 2022, and before long, the children’s father, Kevin Franke, moved out.

Shari claimed her mom was ‘secretive’ about the relationship with Hildebrandt, saying: “I certainly got weird vibes from Jodi and Ruby. I don’t think it’s normal at all that a therapist would move in to your client’s home … I was moving out to college, I hadn’t even left the house yet, and she is in my room and in my bed.”

When Pilgrim asked if she thought Franke and Hildebrandt were more than friends, Shari said: “I’m not sure.”

Ruby Franke pleaded guilty to four counts (Law&Crime Network)

What have authorities said about the Ruby Franke case?

Shari claimed she reached out for help with the abuse she allegedly received from her mom, but did not receive it.

In a statement to ABC News, the Utah Division of Child and Family Services said: “The Utah Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) works with children and families during some of their most vulnerable moments. DCFS respects that each child and family has a right to privacy and remains firm in our commitment to that privacy for the children and families of Utah.

“DCFS affirms law enforcement reports of our involvement in the Franke case. However, in order to protect the integrity of the necessary working relationships with those we serve, and to respect the privacy of children and families, DCFS will continue its practice and refrain from sharing specific information on a case, past or present. Utah law requires any person with reason to believe that a child has been subjected to abuse, neglect, or dependency to report it to DCFS or a local law enforcement agency. The 24/7 abuse and neglect hotline is 855-323-3237.”

UNILAD has contacted Ruby Franke’s lawyers for comment.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.

A father made a devastating final heroic act before he, his wife and son were allegedly murdered by their eldest son.

In the early hours of Sunday morning (September 1) in Paderno Dugnano, a town to the north of Milan, Italy, a 17-year-old boy is believed to have crept into his little brother’s room armed with a knife.

The 12-year-old was then stabbed a total of 10 times, letting out a loud scream that woke his parents in the process.

Oblivious that their eldest son, who was already in the room when they arrived, was the accused killer, dad Fabio Chiarioni heroically called on him to help – at which point it is believed the teen tragically launched an attack on them.

The son then dialled the emergency services for help, AP reports, with him initially claiming to have killed only the father in self-defense and blaming him on the deaths of his mom and brother.

The Italian family are all believed to have died at the hands of one of their own family members (Family Handout)

When police arrived at the scene the boy was stood outside in front of his home covered in blood, wearing just his underwear while gripping a knife – which he dropped the moment cops arrived, officials reported.

When officers began questioning the teen, he continued his claim that his dad was the attacker, and told them how he witnessed Chiarioni stab his mom and his little brother before then turning on him.

According to local media, following hours of questioning it became apparent that his alibi began to unravel and he had no injuries that consist with those of a struggle.

Speaking to investigators, the teen said: “There is no real reason why I killed them. I felt like a foreign body in my family. Oppressed. I thought that by killing them all I would free myself from this discomfort.”

He went on to explain how he felt ‘discomfort’ within his family and it all came to a head on his dad Chiarioni’s 51st birthday.

Heroically, the dad yelled at his eldest son to help before becoming a victim himself (Family Handout)

“I realized it a minute later. I understood that it was not by killing them that I would be freed,” he told cops.

Speaking about the family, the mayor of the town Anna Varisco said: “They were a normal, serene family, not followed by social services and described by everyone as not having problems.”

While the dad of a school classmate of the alleged teen killer added: “They were a fantastic, happy family. It’s impossible, I don’t know what could have happened.”

Meanwhile, a juvenile prosecutor in Milan, Sabrina Ditaranto said during a press conference on Sunday: “The boy understood that he had done something irreversible, he expressed his own discomfort, not related to the family.”

The investigation continues.

The devastating text message sent from a mom to her husband upon discovering their lifeless toddler in a hot car has been revealed.

Earlier this month, two-year-old Parker Scholtes had been left to sleep in the car by her father Christopher Scholtes after they returned to their Arizona home from shopping.

Temperatures in the vehicle went on to hit 109 degrees and by the time Parker’s mother, Erika Scholtes – a doctor at Banner University Medical Center -came home around 4pm, the little girl was unconscious from the affects of being left in the hot car for too long.

The AC had been on for the toddler, but the car automatically shuts it off after 30 minutes.

Parker was rushed to hospital but despite medical staff’s best efforts, she was later pronounced dead.

Christopher has since been charged with second-degree murder and child abuse.

While he initially claimed that his young daughter had only been in left in the car for 30 minutes, shocking new evidence suggests that Parker had been left in the vehicle for as long as three hours.

It’s also alleged that Christopher had been ‘distracted by his PlayStation‘, which lead to him forgetting that the two-year-old was in the car.

Erika and Christopher Scholtes pictured with Parker and their other two daughters. (Instagram)

Police also say that surveillance footage shows that the father-of-three failed to check on Parker over this period of time.

Further details in the criminal complaint show text exchanges between Erika and Christopher on the harrowing day Parker died.

As per the Mail Online, Erika is said to have text her husband while Parker was on her way to the hospital: “I told you to stop leaving them in the car, how many times have I told you.”

After Parker was confirmed to have died, she sent another text to him that read: “We’ve lost her, she was perfect.”

Christopher replied: “Babe I’m sorry! How could I do this. I killed our baby, this can’t be real.”

Christopher Scholtes has been charged with second-degree murder. (Pima County Sheriff’s Office)

Backing Erika’s first text, apparently the couple’s other two daughters have told police that it wasn’t uncommon for their dad to leave them in the car.

Erika has since labelled Parker’s death as a ‘big mistake’ as she appealed for Christopher to be allowed to stay at home with his family ahead of his hearing next month.

“This was a big mistake and I think that it doesn’t represent him,” Erika told a judge. “I just want the girls to see their father – that I don’t have to tell them tonight that they’re going to have to endure another loss.”

The judge went on to grant her request. Christopher’s preliminary hearing has been set for August 1.

A mom who was allegedly fatally stabbed by her son shared a poignant Instagram post in the hours leading up to her death.

On Sunday (September 8), Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Florida, received a 911 call from 17-year-old Collin Griffith.

The teenager reported that this mom, Catherine Griffith, accidentally ‘fell on a knife’ and was bleeding from the neck following an altercation between the pair.

When officers arrived at the scene, Collin was said to be ‘cool, calm and collected’ as he stood there in blood-stained clothing.

He’s then said to have become ‘uncooperative’ and demanded that he wanted an attorney when police started questioning him about what happened to his 39-year-old mother.

The following day a medical examiner did an autopsy on Catherine and determined that she died from a deep knife wound to the neck.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd further shared at a press conference: “The medical examiner said it is not reasonable or plausible that she died the way that [her son] said she did.”

Collin Griffith pictured with his mom Catherine (@cathygriffith1985/Instagram)

Collin has since been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.

On the day of her death, Catherine posted an eerie photo to Instagram about an ‘old familiar body ache’.

Sharing a snap of a bridge, she wrote: “That old familiar body ache, The snaps from the same little breaks in your soul. You know when it’s time to go… Sometimes, givin’ up is the strong thing.”

The caption was a line from Taylor Swift‘s 2020 song ‘it’s time to go’.

Catherine’s death comes 18 months after Collin allegedly fatally shot his father, Charlies Griffith.

Collin shot his father ‘in self defense’ on February 14, 2023, after an argument reportedly turned physical, according to Adam Panter, the district attorney for Oklahoma’s 23rd District.

Collin says his mother ‘fell’ on the knife (@cathygriffith1985/Instagram)

It was said at the time that there was ‘probable cause to believe the defendant, the youth, committed first degree murder’, as per an affidavit.

He had been charged with first-degree murder, but this was later dropped as investigators decided that they ‘could not rule out self-defense’ and therefore did not formally file any charges.

Collin had been residing in Oklahoma at the time and, following his father’s death, he moved to Florida to live with his mom and grandma.

According to his grandmother, Collin had a history of being verbally and physically violent with his late mom.

Speaking to WFLA, she added that the teen ‘has problems’.

Sheriff Judd said that despite Collin’s age, he’ll be tried as a adult.