‘The nice version of her was manufactured for YouTube’: my mum, the family vlogger who became a child abuser
Ruby Franke was a social media star who made viral videos about her six children and perfect-seeming life – until she was jailed for child abuse. Now her eldest daughter Shari is telling her side of the story
The video doorbell footage is blurry, but you can make out the young boy approaching. He has blond hair, his legs are alarmingly skinny, duct tape is strapped to his wrists and ankles, and he is shoeless. In the background, the magnificent Red Mountains rise imperiously over the desert city of Ivins, Utah. The boy rings the bell. His voice is desperate. He asks the neighbour to take him to the police station. The neighbour tells him to take a seat, asks what is going on, then calls the police.
Neighbour: “I just had a 12-year-old boy show up here at my front door asking for help and he said he just came from a neighbour’s house. He’s emaciated. He’s got tape around his legs. He’s hungry and he’s thirsty.” The neighbour, a stranger, is so upset that he starts to cry. He says it’s obvious that the boy has been held against his will and has been hurt.
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