Jodi Hildebrandt & Ruby Franke's Plan to Abandon Children in Desert: Netflix Documentary

Disturbing Child Abuse Plot

• 💡 A Netflix documentary, "Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story," reveals that Jodi Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke planned to abandon Ruby's two youngest children in the Arizona desert.
• 📌 Ruby Franke's journal entries detail a land purchase by Hildebrandt, with Franke writing about escalating the children's situation and then "drop[ping] them like hot potatoes in the desert."

Hildebrandt's Counseling Practices

• 🎯 Jodi Hildebrandt, who focused on LDS couples and families, allegedly used strategies of control, isolation, and guilt in her counseling practice.
• 🧠 She reportedly instilled a total dependence on herself among her clients.

Discovery and Arrests

• ⚡ The practice collapsed when Ruby Franke's 12-year-old son escaped Hildebrandt's home, emaciated and with deep infected wounds on his wrists and ankles.
• ⚠️ The child had been subjected to abuse including being wrapped in plastic and duct tape with honey and cayenne pepper.
• 🔍 Investigators found evidence of abuse, including rope and handcuffs, which Hildebrandt attempted to hide.

Abuse of Franke's Children

• 💔 Inside Hildebrandt's home, police found the boy's 9-year-old sister shaved and sitting alone in a dark closet as punishment.
• 😨 The girl was too terrified to speak or move, initially mistaken for a boy by investigators.

Sentencing and Documentary Release

• ⚖️ Both Jodi Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke were arrested and later pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse.
• 🏆 They were sentenced to the maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison.
• 🎬 The documentary "Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story" is now streaming on Netflix.