YouTube vlogger husband claims separation from wife was due to addictions, pornography

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Investigators' interview with the husband of family vlogging fame, Kevin Franke, shows how little the husband claimed to know about the well being of his own children after separating from his wife for more than a year.

Kevin, the husband of Ruby Franke, was interviewed for about 45 minutes by investigators with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office on August 30, 2023, the day his wife was arrested for child abuse. He told investigators he was asked by his wife to move out of their house and not contact any of their children in July 2022. Kevin told investigators this was due to his own, "addictions" and help he needed with "pornography."

Franke’s 12-year-old son climbed out of a window and knocked on a neighbor’s door to ask for food and water. That neighbor called police, sparking the investigation that ended in the arrest of Rubyand her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt.

Ruby Franke and Hildebrandt each pleaded guilty to four second-degree aggravated child abuse charges in December. They were eachsentenced to no more than one to 15 years behind bars to be served consecutively.

Outside of fighting for the custody of his remaining underage kids following his estranged wife's arrest, Kevin's involvement in his children's lives was limited based on public statements.

RELATED |Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt interrogation: One remains silent, the other speaks

Below is a description and direct quotes from his interview, provided as part of a tranche of documents released Friday, March 22 from the investigation.

KEVIN FRANKE INTERVIEW

After investigators explain what rights he has before conducting the interview, Kevin starts by simply stating, “I want to pick up my kids.”

Investigator: So, are they [the children] all living with you? Or?

Kevin: No. I haven’t seen any of them for over a year.

Investigator: Any of them?

Kevin: No, none of them

Investigator: For a year?

Kevin: Over a year. I’ve been in a separation.

Investigator: From who?

Kevin: From my wife and family.

When asked the last time he saw his wife, Kevin said it was the 18th of August 2023, 10 days prior to her arrest. He said she wanted him to sign over the titles of some of the family vehicles to her name.

Kevin said the last time he saw his children was July 25, 2022, the day he moved out of the family’s southern Utah home.

When asked what was happening at the Ivins home, Kevin said he didn’t know, “anything that’s been going on.”

Kevin said he was unsure who was living in the home with his four kids. He said his two adult children had moved out.

Kevin told investigators he received a message that he needed to pick up his kids from the police department in Ivins. He did not want to say who sent him that message.

“I’m not comfortable right now saying who reached out to me,” he said.

Investigator: When all the kids left, Ruby took all of them?

Kevin: Yes. She stayed in the house and I moved out.

Investigator: And did you ever try to reach out to the kids, drop by the home or?

Kevin: No. I honored the separation boundary that we agreed to.

Investigator: Did you have a no contact order in place?

Kevin: No, it was supposed to be between my wife and me.

Investigator: So, what did Ruby ask of you when you separated?

Kevin: What did she ask of me?

Investigator: Did she ask you not to contact the kids?

Kevin: Ruby invited me to leave the home while I thought about the choices I made in my life and the way that I’ve treated her.

Investigator: OK.

Kevin: Ya. So I left.

Ruby’s estranged husband said the two separated after 22 years of marriage.

When asked how the two would discipline their kids during their marriage, Kevin said he would not answer.

More from the 8 Passengers case

Since their separation though, he said there was no communication with his wife about their physical care or wellbeing.

“She’s not telling me anything,” Kevin said.

When asked if he knows Jodi Hildebrandt, Kevin described her as a therapist and life coach, “I think she is a very honest, truthful person.”

The investigator questions Kevin about whether he knew his estranged wife was partners or roommates with Hildebrandt, or knew his kids were living with her.

He said he wasn’t aware of that.

Kevin: I know that they’ve been in business for the last year filming

Investigator: Who’s ‘they’

Kevin: Ruby and Jodi.

Investigator: Ruby and Jodi have been in business?

Kevin: They film podcasts, so every week the podcast goes up and I listen to it.

The father then explains the name of the business the two are in: Connexions.

“I support their business efforts. I think it’s a good thing,” he said.

When an investigator asks about his participation with “8 passengers” - the YouTube family vlogging seen by millions - Kevin said he was in the videos featured on the account featured on that platform.

He said his wife started the channel in 2015, but the last video she uploaded was toward the end of 2021. He was unaware of any videos she’s done since then.

Kevin said he agreed to only communicate with his wife after their separation in case of emergencies. He told investigators they had only communicated four times since the beginning of 2023.

He denied knowing anything about the way Ruby disciplines their kids, when asked by investigators.

Investigator: Are you aware of the physical condition of your children?

Kevin: No. No. I’ve chosen to trust my wife with the children. That was a part of the agreement of our separation.

Investigator: Is that you allow her to physically provide for the needs of the children and you’re just removed from that? I mean, you pay support? I know these are personal questions, but

Kevin: Yes. My job is to financially provide for them.

Investigator: How much of a role do you play in the caretaking of specifically [redacted]?

Kevin: I pay the bills. With my job, I provide the money, goes into a shared bank account. That’s my only involvement.

Investigators press Kevin to divulge who reached out to him and said he needed to pick up his kids.

When asked if it was Jodi Hildebrandt who made the request, Kevin replied, “I won’t be able to answer that question.”

“She [Jodi Hildebrandt] is an honest, I know her to be an honest and a trustworthy individual. And so, ya, I trust her.”

While he won’t say who communicated there was a need for him to drive to southern Utah, Kevin said when he found out, he left work immediately.

Once Kevin is asked if he had any questions of investigators, he gets right to the point, “I want to know what’s going on and why I was asked to come down and pick up my two kids.”

Given that the case was so fresh, investigators said they couldn’t provide details of what they knew at that time.

What investigators did want to know: who called Kevin to tell him to come get his kids?

Since he doesn’t budge, detectives ask about previous allegations of abuse that stemmed from the Franke family YouTube vlog: 8 Passengers.

After the father describes the logic behind his parenting decision to allow his son to sleep on a beanbag for 9 months, a redacted portion follows.

He concludes that he is honoring a no-contact verbal separation agreement from his wife that required he not speak with any of his six kids.

Kevin did say that while his son wasn’t sent down to visit with Hildebrandt, they did meet over Zoom.

The husband said Ruby, his wife, and Hildebrandt decided to start a business in 2021.

He described the business concept as, “nebulous,” at first.

Kevin said his wife’s involvement with Hildebrandt for the business started as a podcast, and the women wrote a book together.

In his interview, Kevin said he wasn’t familiar with whether the women found success with their venture.

But when the family left you tube, Kevin said the Franke family lost 90% of their income.

“To say that business was thriving, in my perspective, no. I don’t think it ever was after that,” Kevin said.

When investigators probe to get an answer as to why Kevi n separated from his wive, he replied, "the reasons are because of ways that I treated my wife... of my own addictions that I was working through and seeking help on with pornography.”

The exact nature of his self-described problem with pornography is not detailed in the interview.

“I’ve made some wonderful progress,” he said.

Kevin said the invitation for him to separate and have no contact with his family came from his wife.

Investigators then explain to Kevin that his son was knocking on doors asking for food and water, and had duct tape on his extremities to cover rope burns. The investigator said the rope was used to tie Kevin’s son down.

“Take a second and think about what I just said. That’s the condition of your son,” the investigator implored of Kevin.

After a moment, Kevin covers his face with his hand, crossing his arms deep in thought.

“Given that information, your son was taken to the hospital,” the investigator said.

Investigator: My job is to find out your knowledge of the treatment of these precious children.

Kevin: Based on your description, no. Again, I don’t know the details or what was going on. But as you describe that sounds

Investigator: Horrible. Disgusting. No human being should be treated like that.

Kevin: I, ya. OK.

Investigator: That’s my thoughts, but again, you might be different on that.

Kevin doesn’t respond to the investigator’s opinion of the condition of the abused children.

The investigator explained to Kevin he would not have access to his children at that time, as they were under medical hold for at least 72 hours.

Kevin then covers his face with both hands and groans.

Investigators then leave the room, leaving the recording on.

Kevin is heard sighing, exerting breath deeply as he leans his elbows on the table.

Sitting in silence for the next six minutes or so, he stares down at the table he is sitting at, head rested on his tightly gripped hands.

"What’s going to happen to my wife? I love my wife,” Kevin said as investigators come back into the interrogation room.

“I don’t know,” the investigator responded, noting she could face charges.

“I love my wife and I trust my wife, and so I mean this feels like getting run over by a stream truck,” Kevin said.

The husband explained he was only there to pick up his kids and take them home.

Investigator: I don’t know you, but I can tell you my perception of how this happened.

Kevin: Look, I’m interested in facts, but at the same time, I’m interested in all the facts.

Investigator: Did you understand our facts? Our facts are that you have a child that is emaciated, malnutritioned and has [redacted] marks.

The two then go back and forth as to who spent time with Kevin’s daughter, who was also considered a victim, along with her brother.

“I don’t know what to do You realize I have a picture of my family on my wall, and I look at it every day. And I work. I work!,” Kevin said with a raised voice as he slapped the table.

“Everyday [I work] so I can - back to my family and save my family,” he said.

“Everything you’re sharing to me sounds like a made-up story. Like I, I have no idea what you’re talking about. This just, it sounds like a horror movie,” Kevin said, as he covered his face with his hands.

“You’re all doing your jobs, I get it. I understand.”

After a redacted edit, Kevin is heard explaining the last contact he had with his wife about 10 days prior about the title of their family car. He then describes his morning of looking at his family photo and dedicating to live a “honest, a virtuous and a responsible life today.”

“What you’re sharing with me feels like a sucker punch,” Kevin said.

Another redacted edit follows, where Kevin said he is heartbroken with what information was being shared with him.

“I feel responsible separating, leaving it hurts,” Kevin said.

“I wish I was a better husband.”

Kevin then expresses his gratitude toward the people taking care of his kids.

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