A once-popular family vlogger has been arrested on child abuse charges alongside her business partner after police in Utah said officers found two of her children “emaciated and malnourished, with open wounds and duct tape around” their arms and legs.
“Finally,” Franke’s oldest daughter Shari Franke wrote on her Instagram story, alongside a photo of police standing outside the home in Springville, Utah.
Shari had cut off her mother a year ago, according to an Insiderreport, and has long been outspoken about her mother’s alleged abuse — something the Franke family’s social media followers have reportedly suspected for years.
Moms of Truth/ Instagram
Insider has previously reported on Franke’s suspected abuse and reports the family has been on a “downward spiral” in recent years amid multiple controversies surrounding Franke and her husband Kevin’s parenting.
“Today has been a big day," Shari wrote in a follow-up Instagram story. “Me and my family are so glad justice is being served. We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up.”
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On Thursday morning, Shari wrote that her younger siblings “are safe, but there’s a long road ahead” for them.
However, the 8Passengers page fell under scrutiny in recent years due to Franke’s strict parenting, which led many viewers to question whether she was abusing her children. The page was eventually deleted, and Franke and Hildebrand then launched the Connexions podcast.
The women’s podcast soon came under similar scrutiny, especially as the two women espoused homophobic, transphobic, racist and ableist rhetoric, according to Insider.
In one 2018episode, for example, Franke used a monologue to explain how “pain is meant to be a teacher” for children. “It’s not your nemesis. It’s your ally,” she said. “Pain is not bad. It is here to temper you and teach you and humble you and refine you and create wisdom in you.”
Shari also shared apublic Google Docwith links to episodes of 8Passengers and Connexions and quotes from the episodes that allegedly showcase abusive parenting.
In Utah, a person found guilty of aggravated child abuse charges can face up to 15 years in prison.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
