Who Are Ruby Franke’s 4 Siblings? What to Know About Her Brother and Sisters — and What They’ve Said About Her Case

Former YouTuber and convicted child abuser Ruby Franke has four siblings: Ellie Mecham, Julie Griffiths Deru, Bonnie Hoellein and Beau Griffiths

Moms of Truth/ Instagram ; Ellie Mecham/ Instagram ; Bonnie Hoellein/ Instagram ; Julie Griffiths Deru/ Instagram Ruby Franke ; Ellie Mecham ; Bonnie Hoellein ; Julie Griffiths Deru.

Moms of Truth/ Instagram ; Ellie Mecham/ Instagram ; Bonnie Hoellein/ Instagram ; Julie Griffiths Deru/ Instagram

Ruby Franke ; Ellie Mecham ; Bonnie Hoellein ; Julie Griffiths Deru.

Ruby Franke’s four siblings have publicly addressed their sister’s felony child abuse case only a few times.

Her sisters, Ellie Mecham, Julie Griffiths Deru and Bonnie Hoellein — who have a combined 900,000 Instagram followers — shared a joint statement on the social media platform the day after Franke was arrested and wrote that it "needed to happen."

Her brother, Beau Griffiths, later wrote a letter that was read at his sister’s sentencing hearing in February 2024, per KSL. In it, he claimed that Franke had been “brainwashed” by her former therapist and business partner Jodi Hildebrandt.

“Ms. Hildebrandt was the sole source of what was right or wrong and discouraged people making their own life choices,” Franke’s brother wrote. “It came as no surprise to me that as soon as Ruby was removed from the fog of the cult, she recognized she was wrong and was ready and willing to unfeignedly take responsibility for the wrongs she had done.”

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Related: Where Are Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt Now? The Details Behind the Shocking Case That Inspired Lifetime’s Mormon Mom Gone Wrong

Though concerns for Franke’s children began in 2020, the mom of six wasn’t arrested until August 2023 when her then-12-year-old son — who was “emaciated” and “covered in wounds,” according to police reports — ran to a neighbor’s home, begging for food, water and help.

Franke pleaded guilty to four counts of child abuse four months after her arrest and received the same punishment as Hildebrandt: four consecutive 15-year sentences.

Here’s everything to know about Ruby Franke’s siblings: Ellie Mecham, Julie Griffiths Deru, Bonnie Hoellein and Beau Griffiths.

Who are Ruby Franke’s siblings?

Julie Griffiths Deru/ Instagram Ruby Franke with her sisters Ellie Mecham, Bonnie Hoellein and Julie Griffiths Deru.

Julie Griffiths Deru/ Instagram

Ruby Franke with her sisters Ellie Mecham, Bonnie Hoellein and Julie Griffiths Deru.

In addition to her, Franke's parents, Chad and Jennifer Griffiths, share three daughters and a son: Ellie Mecham, Julie Griffiths Deru, Bonnie Hoellein and Beau Griffiths.

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All of Franke's sisters are vloggers and influencers who share homemaking, parenting and other lifestyle content on Instagram. Mecham shares four children with her husband, YouTuber Jared Mecham. The couple previously hosted a podcast titled Ellie + Jared, where they gave out marriage advice and they continue to post videos on their family's YouTube channel.

Related: Where Are Ruby Franke’s 6 Kids Now? Here's What Happened to the Family After the Vlogger's 2023 Arrest

Griffiths Deru and her husband, Landon Deru, have five kids. She’s active on both her Instagram and her YouTube channel. For her part, Hoellein documents life in an RV with her four kids and husband, Joel Hoellein, on Instagram and YouTube.

Griffiths is the only member of Franke’s family who isn’t an influencer (her parents are also active on YouTube and Instagram). According to his LinkedIn, he’s an electrical engineer who co-founded an engineering firm in 2022.

What have Ruby Franke’s siblings said about their sister’s case?

Bonnie Hoellein/ Instagram Julie Griffiths Deru and Bonnie Hoellein smile in a photo together in June 2022.

Bonnie Hoellein/ Instagram

Julie Griffiths Deru and Bonnie Hoellein smile in a photo together in June 2022.

In August 2023, Mecham, Griffiths Deru and Hoellein posted a joint statement on Instagram that stated they had kept quiet on the topic of their sister for three years “for the sake of her children.” Franke’s sisters also wrote that they would not comment on the case anymore.

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“Behind the public scene we have done everything we could to try and make sure the kids were safe,” the statement read. “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.”

The following month, Griffiths Deru and Hoellein posted videos on their respective YouTube channels. Griffiths Deru claimed that her family had their reservations about the therapy Franke was receiving and that they “all felt weird about this Jodi lady.”

“We didn’t like the teachings Ruby was bringing to the family functions,” Griffiths Deru said in her video. “We were this close to telling her if you come to our family events, we do not want to hear what you’re learning through ConneXions ... we never did say that to her, but we thought it," she said, referencing the program Franke took part in that was run by Hildebrandt.

Related: Who Are Ruby Franke’s Parents? What They’ve Said About Their Disgraced Vlogger Daughter (and What Happened to Their Own YouTube Careers After Her Arrest)

Griffiths Deru went on to say that Franke “left the family” three years prior to her arrest following an argument with their mother. Hoellein told a similar story in her video and said that it wasn’t until they all reconnected with Franke’s eldest daughter, Shari Franke, that they realized what was really happening in the household.

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“It was then that we were learning slowly, bits and pieces, of more and that's where the part of behind the scenes we did everything that we could,” Hoellein said. “We did everything legally that we could do.”

In a letter read during Franke’s sentencing hearing in 2024, Griffiths wrote that he also joined the ConneXions program and witnessed “numerous marriage relationships separated” at Hildebrandt’s encouragement.

“Many of the teachings from the ConneXions program were reasonable and good,” Griffiths wrote in a letter addressed to the court. “Unfortunately, as I later discovered, that is what made the program so dangerous. If it was entirely crazy it wouldn't have had any influence. The program was by all definitions a cult.”

Where are Ruby Franke’s siblings now?

Ellie Mecham/Instagram Ellie Mecham and Julie Griffiths Deru pose for a photo together in May 2023.

Ellie Mecham/Instagram

Ellie Mecham and Julie Griffiths Deru pose for a photo together in May 2023.

Since their sister’s arrest, Mecham, Griffiths Deru and Hoellein have continued to post their regular content and remain active on their respective platforms.

“A world full of distractions, and I only have eyes for them,” Hoellein captioned a 2024 Instagram Reel of her and her children that was seemingly referring to Franke’s case. “Satan himself could not come close to making me harm them.”

Related: Where Is Ruby Franke's Husband Now? All About Kevin Franke's Life 2 Years After His Wife’s Arrest — and Why He Says He ‘Still’ Loves Her

Griffiths doesn’t appear to have an Instagram account, but his wife, Emily Griffiths, is an active influencer and personal coach, according to her Instagram bio.

Although Franke's daughter Shari, son Chad and estranged husband Kevin took part, none of her four siblings participated in Hulu’s 2025 docuseries Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke

Read the original article on People