Sisters of influencer Ruby Franke favours arrest on child abuse charges

The two sisters of social media influencer Ruby Franke have commented on her arrest after suspicion of child abuse, claiming that it "needed to happen" and that her "kids are now safe."

Franke's siblings, Ellie Mecham and Julie Griffiths Deru, shared a message about their sister's imprisonment on social media over the weekend. 

Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, the two podcast hosts were both charged with two counts of severe child abuse after their arrests in Ivins, Utah, last week.

“For the last 3 years we have kept quiet on the subject of our sister Ruby Franke for the sake of her children,” the sisters’ joint statement, released on their Instagram pages, read. “Behind the public scene we have done everything we could to try and make sure the kids were safe.”

The statement continued: “We wouldn't feel right about moving forward with regular content without addressing the most recent events. Once we do, we will not be commenting on it further. Ruby was arrested which needed to happen. Jodi was arrested which needed to happen. The kids are now safe, which is the number one priority.”

Shari, Ruby's eldest child also spoke out in favour of her mother's arrest last week.

“Finally,” Shari wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of police outside Hildebrandt’s home.

Last Wednesday, after a neighbour called 911 to report that a purportedly "malnourished" youngster had knocked on their door seeking assistance, police detained both Ruby and Hildebrandt.

“The juvenile was asking for food and water,” police said in a statement, describing the wounds and markings found on the child’s body. “The condition of the juvenile was so severe that they were seen by Santa Clara-Ivins EMS and transported to a local area hospital", People reported.

Police apparently discovered a second youngster inside the residence in "a similar physical condition of malnourishment" shortly after, and they both were sent to the nearby hospital.