Shari Franke, the eldest daughter of YouTube family vlogger and convicted child abuser Ruby Franke, is revealing a disturbing memory involving one of her five siblings.

In the upcoming Hulu docuseries Devil In The Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke, premiering Thursday, Feb. 27, the now 21-year-old recalls helping her younger brother Chad Franke “clean blood off the walls” after he was “beaten really badly.”

Sister Sheri said “I did always feel bad when he got in trouble. He’d get a bloody nose and I’d bring him toilet paper and didn’t really know what to do.”

 

Ruby and Kevin Franke gained widespread recognition through their YouTube channel, 8 Passengers, where they documented their lives as a family of eight in Utah. The channel, launched in 2015, quickly amassed millions of subscribers, drawn to their portrayal of parenting, homeschooling, and daily family dynamics. Ruby, the primary figure in the videos, often shared her strict parenting philosophy, which sparked both admiration and criticism.

As the Franke family’s content gained traction, Ruby’s parenting methods increasingly came under scrutiny. Viewers began voicing concerns over what they perceived as extreme discipline, particularly after Ruby openly discussed withholding meals, beds, and other basic necessities as punishment for misbehavior. One of the most alarming incidents occurred in 2020, when she sent her then-15-year-old son, Chad, to a “behavioral boot camp” in the desert for months. The decision ignited a wave of backlash, with many accusing the couple of child abuse.

Despite mounting criticism, Ruby defended her approach, insisting that her methods were rooted in love and discipline. Over time, however, the channel’s popularity waned as controversies surrounding Ruby and her strict parenting intensified. In 2022, she stopped posting on 8 Passengers and shifted focus to ConneXions, a self-help program she co-founded with therapist Jodi Hildebrandt. The program promoted controversial teachings about personal accountability and family relationships.

In August 2023, the situation reached a breaking point when Ruby was arrested on child abuse charges after one of her children escaped from Hildebrandt’s home, malnourished and injured. Authorities later discovered additional signs of severe neglect and mistreatment among the Franke children. Both Ruby and Hildebrandt were convicted and sentenced to prison, marking a shocking downfall for a once-popular family vlogging empire.

During the series, Chad said the abuse was hidden from the YouTube audience. There were “times where she blew up off camera. She would spank, whip, take the belt out and whip my butt. Pull down my pants, whip me.”

In her newly released memoir, The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom, Shari Franke candidly shares her experiences of the abuse she and her siblings endured. She describes how Ruby’s methods of discipline escalated over time, turning into “grand gestures” of punishment and extended periods of deprivation.