Docuseries on Hildebrandt’s Role in Notorious Child-Abuse Case Premieres

St. George, Utah - On Monday, September 1, 2025, Investigation Discovery launched Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence, a four-part documentary exploring the alliance between former YouTube influencer Ruby Franke and licensed therapist Jodi Hildebrandt, whose actions culminated in one of the most severe child-abuse cases in Utah history.

The special event aired its first two episodes back-to-back, detailing how Franke’s online “8 Passengers” brand and Hildebrandt’s ConneXions Classroom program morphed into a manipulative, cult-like environment. Through interviews with law enforcement, child‐welfare advocates, and family members, the series reconstructs the summer of 2023, when Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped Hildebrandt’s Ivins home, battered, malnourished and bound in duct tape.

Also on September 1, the Washington County Attorney’s Office updated its public case summary, emphasizing the horrific conditions discovered at Hildebrandt’s residence. Court documents reveal that Franke’s two eldest children were forced to perform grueling physical labor-carrying heavy boxes, standing barefoot in extreme heat, sleeping on the floor-and were regularly denied food, water and beds. Officers found Franke’s nine-year-old daughter hiding in a closet when they executed a welfare check.

Both Franke and Hildebrandt pleaded guilty in late 2023 to four counts of aggravated child abuse and are serving consecutive prison terms of one to 15 years per count. The documentary sheds new light on how Hildebrandt, a mental-health counselor, leveraged spiritual rhetoric and isolation tactics to control Franke and the children, with devastating consequences.

The remaining two installments of Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence will air September 8 and 9, offering a comprehensive examination of the legal aftermath and the long-term impact on the Franke children.

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