$5 Million Mansion Where Ruby Franke’s Kids Were Found Is Still On the Market After a Year—as Her Daughter Speaks Out About Abuse

A luxury Utah mansion where convicted child abuser Ruby Franke is said to have carried out heinous crimes against her children is still on the market one year after it was listed for just under $5 million—even as her eldest daughter, Shari, spoke to “Good Morning America” about the physical violence she says she suffered at her mother’s hands.

The property, which is owned by Franke’s business partner and convicted conspirator, Jodi Hildebrandt, was first listed for sale with an asking price of $5.3 million on Jan. 3, 2024—one month before the two women were each sentenced to four consecutive prison terms that could see them serving up to 30 years in jail.

It was inside the Ivins, UT, property that one of Franke’s children was found by police in August 2023, suffering from “severe” wounds, malnutrition, and neglect after her brother, 12-year-old Russell, escaped through a window of the home and fled to a neighbor’s house to beg for food and water.

After the neighbor phoned the police, Russell was taken to the hospital, and authorities later found his younger sister, Eve, inside a closet in Hildebrandt’s home, suffering from a similar state of malnutrition and neglect, according to Fox 13.

Both Franke, now 42, and Hildebrandt, now 55, were arrested and charged with aggravated child abuse.

“The women were arrested after Ms. Franke’s 12-year-old son climbed out of the window of Ms. Hildebrandt’s Ivins, Utah residence, ran to a neighbor’s home, and asked for help,” the police statement read.

“The neighbor observed duct tape on the boy’s ankles and wrists, severe wounds, and malnourishment. He quickly contacted law enforcement who, upon arrival, learned that potentially more children remained inside Ms. Hildebrandt’s home and in harms’ way.

“The officers responded to Ms. Hildebrandt’s home, placed her under arrest, and conducted a search of her sizable property where they found Ms. Franke’s 9-year-old daughter, petrified and hiding in a closet.”

Franke, a mother of six who rose to fame as a parenting influencer with the YouTube channel “8 Passengers,” and Hildebrandt, a former Mormon family therapist, had been living together at the home at the time of their arrests, according to People magazine, after the former separated from her husband, Kevin Franke, and moved into the Utah property.

The home was originally listed by Hildebrandt less than a month after she pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. However, it was temporarily taken off the market after a judge ruled that she had to wait until her Feb. 20 sentencing before selling it.

Since then, the price of the property—which the listing described as “a true masterpiece with stunning features and finishes”—has been lowered from $5,300,000 to $4,995,000.

It has remained on the market at that price since March 2024.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the listing makes no mention of the horrifying crimes that took place in the home, instead calling attention to the ample natural light as well as its many “luxurious” amenities.

However, few can likely forget the home’s chilling history—particularly after it was revealed in March 2024 that police had uncovered a host of torture devices in the property, including rope, handcuffs, and cayenne pepper paste, as well as a “panic room,” according to People.

On Jan. 7, Franke’s eldest daughter spoke out for the first time about her childhood during an appearance on “Good Morning America,” while discussing the release of her memoir, “The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom.”

Shari, who refers to her mother by her name, told GMA that Franke was “really physical” with her as a child: “When I was younger, around, like, 5-6, Ruby was really physical. Whether it was like a slap to the lip or a slap to the cheek … when I would practice the piano, her hand would slam and it was really scary.”

At the time of her mother’s arrest, Shari—who says she was essentially cut off by her mother when she left the family home to attend college—said that she had been fighting “for years” to bring Franke’s abuse to light, adding that she was “so glad justice [was] being served.”

“Hi all. Today has been a big day. Me and my family are so glad justice is being served,” she wrote in a post shared on her Instagram account. “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up.

“Kids are safe, but there’s a long road ahead. Please keep them in your prayers and also respect their privacy.”