West
Abusive Utah mommy blogger accomplice's $5M fortress with panic room for sale after guilty plea
Former-therapist-turned-child abuser Jodi Hildebrandt’s $5 million Utah home became the most-viewed listing on Realtor.com last week.
Hildebrandt and Ruby Franke, who ran a joint parenting and lifestyle YouTube channel called ConneXions Classrooms, pleaded guilty in December 2023 to abusing two of Franke’s six children. Some of that abuse occurred in Hildebrandt’s multimillion-dollar desert home in Ivins, located on the border of Snow Canyon State Park, according to public records.
“A notorious desert dwelling in Ivins, UT, that gained national attention as the place where parenting influencer Ruby Franke abused her children alongside disgraced therapist Jodi Hildebrandt has become the most viewed home on Realtor.com® this week,” reads an April 5 blog post on Realtor.com.
The blog post added that Hildebrandt’s home on W. Tawgoo Ct. was listed for $5.3 million in January, but the price has already been reduced by more than $300,000.
MOMMY BLOGGER RUBY FRANKE’S HUSBAND SAYS ‘SOME CRAZY S–T’ WENT ON IN ABUSE ACCOMPLICE’S $5.3M FORTRESS
Jodi Hildebrandt’s home on W. Tawgoo Ct. was listed for $5.3 million in January, but the price has already been reduced by more than $300,000, according to Realtor.com. (Washington County)
Washington County, Utah, property records list the 2023 market value for Hildebrandt’s home as $2.55 million.
Franke, who initially ran her own parenting blog called “8 Passengers,” and Hildebrandt became close around 2019 due to their similar lifestyle and parenting views, Franke’s husband, Kevin Franke, said in a 2023 police interview recently released by the Washington County Attorney’s Office. Around 2022, the pair decided to start their own blog together.
UTAH POLICE DISCOVER ‘PANIC ROOM’ INSIDE ABUSIVE MOMMY BLOGGER ACCOMPLICE’S $5.3M DESERT HOME
Utah police found a “panic room” inside Jodi Hildebrandt’s $5.3 million Ivins home, where Ruby Franke, inset left, sent her children to stay with Hildebrandt. (Washington County Attorney’s Office)
Franke made the nearly four-hour drive from her Springville home to Hildebrandt’s desert fortress multiple times, according to public records and interviews. Kevin Franke remembered making one such trip with his wife in the police interview.
“It blew my mind,” he told police of Hildebrandt’s home, adding that he thought, “How does a therapist live like this?”
YOUTUBE MOMMY BLOGGER RUBY FRANKE, CO-HOST JODI HILDEBRANDT SENTENCED FOR CHILD ABUSE: ‘DARK DELUSION’
He went on to describe strange happenings that occurred inside Hildebrandt’s home while they were all there together.
“I can’t explain some of the stuff that happened while we were there, like crashes in the basement while we were talking upstairs, and plates in the kitchen just flying off by themselves, like, full-speed smashing off the wall and falling to the floor by themselves,” he told police in the interview. “I can’t explain it, but I saw it with my own eyes, and I don’t have any way to explain it other than there was some crazy s— going on.”
YOUTUBE MOMMY BLOGGERS ARRESTED ON ALLEGATIONS OF CHILD ABUSE: ‘FINALLY’
WATCH: Kevin Franke speaks with police
At the time of Franke’s and Hildebrandt’s August 2023 arrests, two of Franke’s children were staying in Hildebrandt’s home, which contained a bunker-like “panic room” in the basement below Hildebrandt’s garage, according to police records.
One of the children escaped through a window and sought help from a neighbor, who called 911 after seeing the malnourished boy with duct tape on his wrists and ankles on Aug. 30.
UTAH CHILDREN’S BOOK AUTHOR SENT DAMNING TEXT TO LOVER BEFORE HUBBY POISON PLOT: DOCS
Ruby Franke, right, and her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt were arrested and charged on Aug. 30 after Santa Clara police received a dispatch call around 10:50 p.m. asking for help. (Instagram/moms_of_truth)
Police later located all six of Franke’s children in different locations and arrested both parenting bloggers.
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The abuse inflicted upon Franke’s children included forcing them to do physical labor, restricting food, binding one child’s hands and feet, and emotional harm. Franke and Hildebrandt told Franke’s children that they were evil and needed to be punished.
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Las Vegas (Nev.) Arbor View quarterback Thaddeus Thatcher announced his commitment to Oregon State and broke down why he chose the Beavers.
After taking official visits to Oregon State, UNLV, UCF and Michigan, the talented signal caller announced for the Beavers moments ago.
“I’m very excited about my decision,” Thatcher said. “Coach Shep (Jamarcus Shephard) has assembled a really great staff and I’m really excited to work with coach (Mitch) Dahlen.
“Coach Dahlen has worked with so many draft picks and it’s really exciting to have the opportunity to be developed by someone like him.”
The potential to compete for early playing time was another big factor for Thatcher.
“They’re going to give me a chance to compete for a spot right away,” Thatcher said. “That’s something I was interested in and so I’m excited about the opportunity.
“My whole family gets along with the entire Oregon State staff and we really believe in Coach Shep. I really think he’s going to be able to get things back on track and I’m excited to be a part of that.”
We originally had a commit prediction in for Michigan with Thatcher and there was strong buzz he was close to committing following his unofficial visit back in early April.
Thatcher decided to take his official visits instead and the Beavers hosted him on May 29. Oregon State started to build momentum with Thatcher following the trip and the Beavs were able to hold off strong competition.
Thatcher is one of the region’s top dual-threat quarterbacks and two-sport athletes. He’s a talented basketball player as well but his fixture is on the grid-iron.
As a junior, Thatcher completed 168-240 passes (70%) for 2,625 yard and 29 touchdowns with just five interceptions. He also rushed for 605 yards and seven more scores and will be a four-year starter for the Aggies, one of the top teams in the state.
New Mexico
New Mexico AG launches criminal investigation into DEA over allegations agents let fentanyl flood state
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New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez on Friday announced a criminal investigation into allegations that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) knowingly allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach New Mexico communities while agents pursued larger criminal investigations.
The inquiry comes days after The Associated Press reported that DEA agents repeatedly monitored—but did not seize—large fentanyl shipments between 2023 and 2025 while attempting to build broader criminal cases.
Torrez said the investigation will examine potential legal remedies, including criminal prosecution, civil litigation and structural reforms intended to prevent similar conduct by DEA agents in the future.
“The families who have lost children, siblings, and parents to fentanyl deserve the truth about what the federal government knew and what it failed to do,” Torrez said in a statement.
‘ILLICIT’ VERSION OF FENTANYL LINKED TO DEADLY NEW MEXICO INCIDENT THAT SICKENED FIRST RESPONDERS
Photo released by the DEA shows fentanyl pills seized in New Mexico on April 28, 2025, as the agency faces scrutiny over allegations it allowed other shipments to reach the streets. (DEA via AP)
“If the DEA stood by while poison flooded our communities, that is not a bureaucratic failure,” he continued. “It is a betrayal of the people it was sworn to protect.”
Torrez said his office “will pursue every legal avenue available to hold the responsible parties accountable and make certain this never happens again.”
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called for the investigation earlier this week, saying she was “appalled” by allegations that federal agents knowingly allowed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to reach communities across the state.
NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYED TO BLUE CITY OVERRUN WITH JUVENILE CRIME, FENTANYL IS ‘NOT ENOUGH,’ STATE GOP SAYS
New Mexico’s attorney general has opened a criminal investigation into allegations that DEA agents allowed large fentanyl shipments to reach local communities while pursuing larger criminal cases. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
“Make no mistake: the DEA knew people would die if these pills made it into New Mexico communities, and the agency let it happen anyway,” Grisham said. “The result: hundreds of New Mexican parents burying their kids. Hundreds of New Mexican kids growing up without stable parents. All while the federal government stood by.”
Grisham also pointed to allegations that DEA agents monitored the delivery of 74,000 fentanyl pills to a mobile home park in Albuquerque without intervening.
COLORADO DRUG BUST UNCOVERS CARTEL-CONNECTED ILLEGAL ALIENS, APPROXIMATELY 130K FENTANYL PILLS
DEA Special Agent David Howell, who filed a whistleblower complaint, poses for a portrait outside the U.S. district courthouse in Albuquerque, N.M., on Friday, June 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)
“Shockingly, the federal government stood by while monitoring shipments, tallying exact pill counts, and watching as these deadly drugs hit the streets,” she said.
Current and former DEA agents, including whistleblower David Howell, told the AP the agency’s tactics gambled with public safety and may have violated Department of Justice guidelines.
While the DEA initially denied Howell’s allegations in a statement to the AP, the agency later requested that the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General conduct an independent review.
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HALTS DEA’S RANDOM SEARCHES OF AIRPORT TRAVELERS AFTER REPORT FINDS ‘SERIOUS CONCERNS’
Fentanyl pills seized by the DEA in New Mexico on April 28, 2025. New Mexico officials have since launched a criminal investigation into allegations involving the agency’s handling of separate fentanyl shipments. (DEA via AP)
“Should that review identify areas of improvement, the DEA will of course implement changes to better their practices,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “We welcome a partnership with Governor Lujan Grisham, as well as New Mexico state and local leaders, to fight the scourge of fentanyl and keep her constituents safe.”
The allegations stem from enforcement operations conducted during the deadliest drug epidemic in U.S. history, even as the DEA promoted its “One Pill Can Kill” public awareness campaign warning that even a small amount of fentanyl can be fatal.
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Fox News Digital has reached out to the DEA for comment regarding the investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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