A 12-year-old escape artist knocks on a neighbor’s door and politely requests that the man take him to a police station. Soon, the boy’s mom and her friend/therapist/business partner are arrested and charged with multiple counts of felony child abuse. But just a few years prior, this same mom was gaining notoriety (and 2.5 MILLION followers) on YouTube, in part, for her parenting style. 

What happened?! How many steps are there between “disciplinarian” and straight-up “abuser”? Was the influencer being influenced in all the wrong ways? There’s plenty to discuss about this relatively recent true crime tragedy, so jump into the Escape Pod with co-hosts Julie and Charity, and – spoiler alert! - don’t bail early because this episode does, in fact, end on a funny note that ensures we keep the “comedy” in “traumedy.” 

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode contains content about severe physical and emotional abuse committed against children. 

Bullet Points of Key Topics and Markers: 

• Topic #1      2:40 Co-host offers update on parental drama of her own 

• Topic #2    13:13 Introduction to “NOT Mother of the Year” Ruby Franke 

• Topic #3    21:50 A child’s escape leads to two women’s arrests 

• Topic #4    35:10 In custody, Ruby admits to many of her abusive acts 

• Topic #5    52:30 Where’s the kids’ dad? 

• Topic #6 1:03:35 Gigglefest 2024: Co-hosts react to one hubby’s hilarious reply to the question, “How much over par are you?” 

Resources & Links 

• https://www.thecut.com/article/ruby-franke-utah-mommy-vlogger-pleads-guilty-to-child-abuse.html 

• https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/ruby-franke-sentence-child-abuse-mommy-vlogger-rcna139627 

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Franke#:~:text=5%20References,Career,and%20amassed%201%20billion%20views  

• https://apnews.com/article/ruby-franke-youtube-child-abuse-sentencing-4f4985c1cab9243d4eaf8b6a58f087ed  

• Law and Crime Sidebar with Jesse Weber https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmO78ryTM1g and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ier97z_WRcM  

• https://wegotthiscovered.com/youtube/what-are-the-ages-of-ruby-frankes-kids/  

• https://www.google.com/search?q=ruby+franke&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS858US858&oq=ruby+fr&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDQgAEAAY4wIYsQMYgAQyDQgAEAAY4wIYsQMYgAQyCggBEC4YsQMYgAQyBggCEEUYOTINCAMQABiDARixAxiABDINCAQQABiDARixAxiABDINCAUQABiDARixAxiABDIGCAYQABgDMgYIBxBFGDyoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c2a5b6a0,vid:OoBAUOrtUds,st:0  

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGcpOhlKL_w  

• https://jodihildebrandt.com/reviews/  

• https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/News/niece-jodi-hildebrandt-ruby-frankes-business-partner-speaks/story?id=103751750  

• https://pagesix.com/2023/09/12/niece-of-jodi-hildebrandt-claims-they-were-duct-taped-by-terrifying-aunt/  

• https://lawandcrime.com/sidebar-podcast/it-was-torture-niece-of-ruby-franke-supporter-jodi-hildebrandt-opens-up-about-alleged-child-abuse/  

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ruby-franke-jodi-hildebrandt-sentenced-child-abuse-youtube-eight-passengers/  

Sign up to be a Patron today! Get access to the Patron-Only Facebook Group, Bonus Episodes, and more at http://www.escapepod.live 

• General mail: [email protected]  

• Submit listener stories: [email protected]