A new documentary series has once again cast the spotlight on Ruby Franke, a Utah mother of six who posted YouTube videos about her family life to more than 2 million subscribers before she was charged with child abuse and imprisoned.

The three-part Hulu show “Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke” was released on Thursday. Here’s a refresher on the Franke case.

What was Ruby Franke charged with?

Police arrested Franke in August 2023 after her 12-year-old son appeared at a neighbor’s house with wounds and duct tape on his ankles and wrists, showing signs of malnourishment.

The boy had climbed out of a window to escape the Ivins, Utah, home where he lived with his younger sister, his mom and Jodi Hildebrandt, a counselor and Franke’s partner in a life-coaching business, according to officials in Washington County, Utah. After police searched the home, they found Franke’s daughter in a similar state.

Severe punishments were inflicted on the children, described in court documents — including holding the boy’s head underwater and forcing the girl to jump repeatedly on a cactus. They were made to stand or do manual labor outside for long periods without sun protection, leaving them with blistered and scabbed skin. They were also isolated from each other and regularly denied food and water and prohibited from sleeping in beds.

Before meeting Hildebrandt, Franke lived with her husband, Kevin, and six children, who were her co-stars in a popular YouTube channel called 8 Passengers about their family life in Springville, Utah. Hildebrandt eventually moved in with the family, Kevin moved out and the two women spent at least some of their time at Hildebrandt’s property in Ivins where the two abused children were discovered by police.

The Frankes and Hildebrandt were Mormons and the police investigation “found that religious extremism motivated Ms. Franke and Ms. Hildebrandt to inflict this horrific abuse,” the Washington County Attorney’s Office said.

“The women appeared to fully believe that the abuse they inflicted was necessary to teach the children how to properly repent for imagined ‘sins’ and to cast the evil spirits out of their bodies,” it added.

Franke and Hildebrandt were each charged with six counts of aggravated child abuse.

How long is Ruby Franke in prison for?

Franke and Hildebrandt each pleaded guilty in December 2023 to four counts of aggravated child abuse in plea deals that saw two counts dropped. They each must serve at least four years and a maximum of 30 years in Utah State Prison.

What happened to her kids?

The four youngest Franke children, including the two first discovered by police, have been out of the public eye since their mother was jailed. The eldest two, Shari Franke and Chad Franke, both now adults, participated in the documentary. The family shared unaired video footage with director Olly Lambert that shows what their life was like before and after the picture-perfect shots.

“Fake being happy,” Ruby says in one scene included in the series’ trailer, gesturing to the camera. “I don’t know if I can right now,” an upset-looking young Chad replies. The children’s environment became “more like a set than a house” as the abuse escalated, Shari tells viewers.

Since her mother’s conviction, Shari has been active in pushing for better protections and compensation for child influencers to the Utah state legislature, and she wrote a book called “The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom.”

She also announced that she was engaged in a December social media post that asked for privacy, adding that she would not talk about her wedding, husband or future children. “I’ve had my voice and agency taken for so long, and now, I’m putting my foot down,” she said.

Chad Franke is a real estate broker in Utah and content creator, according to his social media.