Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story deep-dives into the “twisted tale of manipulation” that saw former “mummy vlogger” Ruby Franke go from YouTube stardom to a prison cell.
The documentary has reached number one on Netflix, and it is officially the most harrowing thing you’ll watch this week. If you’ve followed the case since 2023, you’ll know it’s dark, but the court details reveal just how close to death her children actually were.
The escape that changed everything
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The world was first alerted to the horror in August 2023 when Franke’s 12-year-old son managed to climb out of a window at Jodi Hildebrandt’s Utah home. He ran to a neighbour’s house with duct tape still wrapped around his ankles and wrists, covered in lacerations and “emaciated”.
Skye Borgman, the director of the doc, told Tudum that the stakes couldn’t have been higher: “If that young boy hadn’t escaped that day… I think those kids probably wouldn’t be with us today.”
The disturbing court confessions
While Franke’s Eight Passengers channel used to portray a perfect family life, her plea deal revealed a reality of “physical torture”. Here are the horrific details Franke admitted to in court.
She admitted to holding her son’s head underwater and kicking him while wearing boots.
Her son was regularly denied food; when he was allowed to eat, it was “plain” while the rest of the family ate flavourful meals.
The children were forced into hours of manual labour in the scorching heat without water or sunscreen, leading to severe dehydration and blistering sunburns.
The kids were banned from books, notebooks, and electronics, and kept entirely isolated from the outside world.
In one of the most sickening revelations, Jodi Hildebrandt admitted to forcing Franke’s nine-year-old daughter to “jump into a cactus multiple times” and walk barefoot on dirt roads until her feet were covered in blisters.
Netflix
‘Evil and possessed’
Franke’s justification for the abuse was just as chilling. She reportedly believed her children were “evil and possessed” and viewed the torture as a way to force them to “repent”.
The documentary focuses on how Hildebrandt, the founder of the life-coaching company ConneXions, used “cult-like” techniques to isolate Franke and take control of the family. Borgman explains that Hildebrandt used a specific “methodology” to separate people from everything positive in their lives until they fell in line.
Where are they now?
Both Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt are currently serving their time at the Utah State Correctional Facility. Because of Utah state law regarding consecutive sentences, neither woman will serve more than 30 years.
As for the children? They didn’t appear in the documentary, but the director says they are currently “moving on and trying to find some form of normal”.
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Featured image credit: Instagram, Washington County Attorney’s Office
