Ruby Franke, a digital content creator, pleaded guilty to four of six criminal charges in a child abuse investigation.
“It is with my deepest regret and sadness for my family and my children that I plead guilty,” Ruby Franke said, as quoted by ABC News.
The American woman became known for giving parenting advice on the YouTube platform and was arrested in late August on suspicion of aggravated child abuse after her emaciated son escaped through a window and asked for help.
The arrest took place at the home of Jody Hildebrandt, owner of a consulting company that worked with Ruby Frank.
Jodi Hildebrant also faces six counts of aggravated child abuse.
Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped through the window of Hildebrandt’s home in Ivins and ran to a neighbor’s house to ask for food and water.
A neighbor saw tape on the boy’s ankles and wrists and called police. The young man was taken to the hospital, where he was admitted “due to deep lacerations from affection and malnutrition,” court documents say.
Franke’s 10-year-old daughter was later found malnourished at Hildebrandt’s home and was also taken to the hospital, authorities added.
The verdict of the influential person will be read on February 20. Ruby Franke agreed to testify against Hildebrant. Lawyer Ruby Franke claims her client was manipulated by the owner of the consulting company.
“Ruby Franke initially believed that Jodi Hildebrant could offer a path to continuous improvement. Jodi Hildebrant took that search and turned it into something disgusting. For a long time, she isolated Ruby Franke from her large family, her older brother. children and her husband Kevin Franke. This prolonged isolation left Ruby Franke with a distorted sense of morality,” she explained.