Kevin Franke is an assistant professor of civil engineering at Brigham Young University and the husband of Ruby Franke, the mother behind the controversial YouTube channel 8 Passengers. The channel, which featured the daily lives of the Franke family and their six children, was taken down earlier this year after allegations of child abuse surfaced.
Ruby Franke was arrested on August 30, 2023, along with her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt, on suspicion of two counts of aggravated child abuse. Kevin Franke has not commented on his wife’s arrest and is reportedly focusing on keeping his children together under his fatherly care.
Biography, Age & Education
Kevin Franke was born on October 9, 1978, in Ogden, Utah, United States of America. He is 45 years old as of 2023. He graduated from Bonneville High School and then attended Utah State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering with Magna Cum Laude honors. He then pursued his graduate studies at the University of Washington and Brigham Young University, where he obtained his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in civil engineering, respectively.
Kevin Franke has a passion for geotechnical and earthquake engineering and has worked as a professional consultant for close to seven years before joining the faculty of Brigham Young University in 2014. He teaches courses on soil mechanics, foundation engineering, earthquake engineering, and numerical methods.
He also conducts research on topics such as liquefaction, seismic site response, ground motion selection, soil-structure interaction, and probabilistic seismic hazard analysis. He has published several papers in peer-reviewed journals and conferences and has received grants from various agencies and organizations.
Marriage, Wife & Kids
Kevin Franke is also a family man who loves spending time with his wife and children. He married Ruby Griffiths on July 3, 1999, in the Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They have six children: Shari Franke (born in 2003), Chad Franke (born in 2005), Abby Franke (born in 2007), Julie Franke (born in 2009), Russell Franke (born in 2011), and Eve Franke (born in 2014).
Kevin Franke is the brother-in-law of Beau Griffiths, Bonnie Hoellein, Ellie Mecham, and Julie Deru, who are also popular YouTubers and influencers. He is also related to Cynthia Franke, a former Miss Utah USA.
What is 8 Passengers?
8 Passengers was a YouTube channel that documented the daily lives of the Franke family. The channel was launched in January 2015 and quickly gained popularity among viewers who enjoyed watching the family’s adventures, challenges, pranks, travels, holidays, and routines. The channel had over 2.3 million subscribers and over one billion views before it was deleted in early 2021.
The channel was also a source of income for the family, as they earned revenue from advertisements, sponsorships, merchandise sales, and fan donations. The family also collaborated with other YouTubers and brands and appeared on various media outlets such as Good Morning America, The Today Show, People Magazine, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Controversy
However, the channel also attracted criticism and controversy from some viewers who accused the parents of abusing their children physically, emotionally, and psychologically. Some of the allegations included locking their children in their rooms or bathrooms for hours or days as punishment, withholding food or water from them as discipline, forcing them to sleep on beanbags or floors instead of beds, making them wear dirty clothes or diapers for extended periods of time, exposing them to inappropriate or dangerous situations or content, neglecting their medical or educational needs, isolating them from their friends or relatives, manipulating them with guilt or fear tactics, exploiting them for views or money, and violating their privacy or consent.
Some viewers also reported the family to local authorities or child protective services after witnessing some disturbing incidents or behaviors on their videos. For instance, in June 2020, some viewers called the police after Chad Franke revealed that he had been sleeping on a beanbag for seven months as a consequence of pulling a prank on his younger brother.
In August 2020, some viewers contacted the Department of Child and Family Services after Eve Franke confessed that she had not eaten breakfast or lunch that day because she had not done her chores. In December 2020, some viewers alerted the school district after Abby Franke said that she had not done any schoolwork for two months because her parents had taken away her laptop.
Why was Ruby Franke Arrested?
Ruby Franke was arrested on August 30, 2023, on suspicion of two counts of aggravated child abuse. The arrest was triggered by a report from a neighbor who had found a malnourished child with open wounds and duct tape on their extremities at their doorstep. The child had escaped from a nearby residence in Ivins, Utah, where Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were staying.
The residence belonged to Jodi Hildebrandt, who was the founder and owner of ConneXions, a life counseling service that offered courses, workshops, podcasts, and videos on topics such as relationships, parenting, addiction, trauma, and spirituality. Ruby Franke became involved with ConneXions after she stopped vlogging in 2020 following the child abuse investigation.
She became a member of the Business Team division of ConneXions and collaborated with Jodi Hildebrandt on creating content for their social media platforms. They also launched a joint Instagram account called @moms_of_truth, where they shared their views and advice on motherhood and family life.
Family Response
The family denied any wrongdoing and defended their parenting style as being based on their religious beliefs and personal values. They claimed that they loved their children and wanted to teach them responsibility, accountability, respect, honesty, gratitude, and kindness.
They also said that they had the right to raise their children as they saw fit and that they did not owe any explanation or apology to anyone. They also accused some of their critics of being haters, trolls, bullies, or stalkers who were trying to ruin their reputation or harm their family.
What happened to Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt?
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested on August 30, 2023, on suspicion of two counts of aggravated child abuse. The arrest was triggered by a report from a neighbor who had found a malnourished child with open wounds and duct tape on their extremities at their doorstep. The child had escaped from a nearby residence in Ivins, Utah, where Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were staying. The residence belonged to Jodi Hildebrandt, who was the founder and owner of ConneXions, a life counseling service that offered courses, workshops, podcasts, and videos on topics such as relationships, parenting, addiction, trauma, and spirituality.
Ruby Franke became involved with ConneXions after she stopped vlogging in 2020 following the child abuse investigation. She became a member of the Business Team division of ConneXions and collaborated with Jodi Hildebrandt on creating content for their social media platforms. They also launched a joint Instagram account called @moms_of_truth, where they shared their views and advice on motherhood and family life.
According to the police statement, when the officers arrived at the residence, they found another child in a similar condition of malnourishment and neglect. They also discovered evidence consistent with the children’s wounds and four minors who were taken into the custody of the Department of Child and Family Services. The police did not disclose the identities or ages of the children or their relationship to Ruby Franke or Jodi Hildebrandt. However, some sources speculated that they were either Ruby Franke’s children or Jodi Hildebrandt’s grandchildren.
Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt were booked into the Washington County Jail and are currently in custody. They have not been formally charged yet and are awaiting their court hearings. They have not issued any statement or comment on their arrest or the allegations against them.
Career
Kevin Franke is an American civil and environmental engineer who has a successful career in both academia and industry. He is currently an assistant professor of civil engineering at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, where he teaches and conducts research on geotechnical and earthquake engineering. He is also the husband of Ruby Franke, the former YouTube star who was recently arrested on child abuse charges.
Kevin Franke started his career in 2006 as a geotechnical professional at Kleinfelder, Inc., a multinational engineering, construction management, design, and environmental professional services firm. He worked there for six years, performing various geotechnical analyses, such as liquefaction analysis and settlement analysis, for different projects across the United States.
In 2012, Kevin Franke joined the faculty of BYU as an assistant professor of civil engineering. He has a Ph.D. in civil engineering from BYU, an MS in civil engineering from the University of Washington, and a BS in civil engineering from Utah State University. He is also a licensed professional engineer in Utah.
What is Kevin Franke’s net worth?
Kevin Franke’s net worth is estimated to be around $2 million as of 2023. He earns his income from his academic career as a professor of civil engineering at Brigham Young University. He also receives royalties from his publications and grants from his research projects. He also used to earn money from his YouTube channel 8 Passengers before it was deleted. He also has investments in real estate and other assets.
BIO/Wiki
Facts About Kevin Franke
- Kevin Franke is an assistant professor of civil engineering at Brigham Young University and the husband of Ruby Franke, the mother behind the controversial YouTube channel 8 Passengers.
- Kevin Franke was born on October 9, 1978, in Ogden, Utah, United States of America. He is 45 years old as of 2023.
- Kevin graduated from Bonneville High School and then attended Utah State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering with Magna Cum Laude honors.
- Kevin Franke then pursued his graduate studies at the University of Washington and Brigham Young University, where he obtained his Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in civil engineering, respectively.
- Franke has a passion for geotechnical and earthquake engineering and has worked as a professional consultant for close to seven years before joining the faculty of Brigham Young University in 2014.
- Kevin teaches courses on soil mechanics, foundation engineering, earthquake engineering, and numerical methods. He also conducts research on topics such as liquefaction, seismic site response, ground
