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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Alaska
Man hospitalized with serious injuries following frightening Slush Cup crash, family says
GIRDWOOD, Alaska (KTUU) – A skier sustained serious injuries Saturday after a frightening crash in the Alaska Airlines Slush Cup event at the Alyeska Resort Spring Carnival.
Family members of 29-year-old William Ingrim confirmed that Ingrim is currently hospitalized with injuries sustained participating in Saturday’s pond skim, and said his medical team is working to determine his prognosis.
Video footage captured at the event shows Ingrim skiing down the slope leading up to the pool of water, hitting the jump at high speed, and crossing over almost the entire length of the pool before landing hard near the end of it. Medical personnel staged at the pool can be seen rushing to his aid in the moments after the crash.
Ingrim’s mother, Robin, told Alaska’s News Source on Sunday that she was told her son is “stable” but in a medically-induced coma. She added that he will “probably” be paralyzed.
Other family members disputed that information Monday, telling Alaska’s News Source that a lot about Ingrim’s status is unknown.
Family members who are currently in Alaska and who spoke with doctors released a short statement Monday night:
“It’s a tough time for Will, but he’s a resilient young man. it’s an unimaginable time for his family and friends and we appreciate all the outpouring of love, prayers and support.”
According to his family, Ingrim is a commercial fisherman. During the winter months, he works as a coach at the Alyeska Ski Club.
Ingrim is one of seven siblings, a brother with six sisters, his family said.
“He’s precious to me,” Robin said about her son. “Will is the nicest young man you know.
“It’s going to be very hard on all of us.”
As of Sunday, Robin said she has not heard from Alyeska Resort.
Officials with Alyeska told Alaska’s News Source on Monday that their thoughts are with the participant and their loved ones during this time. The resort also stated that the safety of their guests and participants remains their highest priority.
“The Slush Cup is a longstanding event that is carefully planned with safety measures in place, including trained personnel and emergency response teams on site,” the statement from Alyeska spokesperson Bayne Salmon read.
“Out of respect for the individual and their family, we will not be sharing additional personal details at this time.”
Alaska’s News Source asked the resort if anyone in the past has ever been injured while participating in the event in the past, but have not heard back as of publication.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with new information from members of the skier’s family, including sensitivity to their wishes in providing updates on his current medical condition.
See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com
Copyright 2026 KTUU. All rights reserved.
Arizona
Arizona Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love is favorite to win top rookie award
The Arizona Cardinals’ top draft pick is favored to win Offensive Rookie of the Year.
The Arizona Cardinals believe they got a special player in running back Jeremiyah Love. Drafted third overall last week, many considered him the best player in the draft.
That belief is bleeding into the betting markets when it comes to Offensive Rookie of the Year odds.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Love is the favorite to win the award at +250, a little ahead of No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza, the new quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders. Mendoza’s odds are +350.
Behind them is Tennessee Titans receiver Carnell Tate at +500, New Orleans Saints receiver Jordyn Tyson at +600, Seattle Seahawks running back Jadarian Price at +750 and Philadelphia Eagles receiver Makai Lemon at +950.
Even Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck, selected in the third round, is a dark horse at +1500.
At +250 odds, Love is considered to have a 28.57% chance at winning the award, about 6% more likely than Mendoza’s 22.22% implied odds.
A running back has not won Offensive Rookie of the Year since Saquon Barkley did in 2018, but Love was the highest running back drafted since Barkley was taken second overall that year.
Since then, it has been quarterbacks or receivers winning the award.
We will see what sort of role Love will have in a pretty crowded running back room and how productive he can be on a team that is expected to struggle.
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Colorado
Family of Boulder firebombing suspect released in Colorado, now waiting for next move
The ex-wife of the Boulder firebombing attack suspect and their five children are staying in Colorado for now, following a weekend in which the Department of Homeland Security moved to deport the family.
Hayam el Gamal and her five children, including 5-year-old twins, were taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they appeared for a required check-in only hours after arriving back in the state from a Texas detention facility. The family was then loaded onto a plane bound for Michigan. After it took off from Michigan and headed to New Jersey, an emergency order from a judge prompted officials to turn the plane around and return to Colorado, where the family was released from custody for the second time in two days.
“I think our whole community feels a suspicion and a deep sense of anxiety still, seeing what happened on Saturday, and what really has transpired this whole last week, has been the biggest rollercoaster of emotions,” said Emily Schilperoort, a member of a group based in Colorado Springs that is supporting the family.
The family has informed ICE of their whereabouts, and the mother and eldest daughter, Habiba, are wearing GPS monitoring devices. But supporters are not sharing their location with the public for fear of threats to the family.
Supporters and attorneys for the family say Hayam el Gamal has medical issues that include fluid around the heart and a lump on her chest that they claim were not properly treated while in ICE custody in Texas. The family had been held at the detention center in Dilley, Texas, since the days following the firebombing attack in Boulder.
El Gamal has since divorced the children’s father, Mohammed Soliman, whose family has said spent little time at home before the incident and was often withdrawn. An FBI agent testified in a hearing for Mohammed Soliman last year that there’s no indication the family had prior knowledge of the attack on demonstrators in Boulder in support of the hostages taken in the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.
“We also recognize that the trauma that they’ve experienced and all of what they’ve gone through in the last week,” said Schilperoort, noting that they were trying to give the family space and time to recover.
“They’re home, and they’re happy as much as you can from a traumatic event, and the family is resting,” said Eric Lee, an attorney for the family.
DHS on Monday replied to emailed questions with the same statement it sent over the weekend.
“The family received full due process and was issued a final order of removal on December 29, 2025. They appealed the judge’s decision. The board of appeals upheld the final order of removal on April 22, 2026. Despite receiving full due process, this activist judge appointed by Bill Clinton is releasing this terrorist’s family onto American streets AGAIN,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.
Lawyers for El Gamal and her children claim the Board of Immigration Appeals made its April 22 decision after political pressure from the White House.
“So the Board of Immigration Appeals, in my understanding, upheld the validity of a deportation order for them, while the District Court was still deciding the legality of their detention,” explained Violeta Raquel Chapin, who teaches both criminal and immigration law as associate dean and clinical professor of law at the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder.
The family said they were in the process of applying for asylum and that they had work permits and Social Security numbers. But the government maintains the family no longer has permission to stay in the country.
A judge in a Texas federal district court released them after a recommendation from a magistrate earlier in the week.
“I think it was very clear under the law that they should not be detained. And that’s what the district court judge decided and ordered their release. They do have pending asylum claims, for which they have the right to be heard, under our laws and our regulations,” said Chapin.
“They have due process rights to have those asylum claims be heard,” she continued. “And for them to be able to present evidence about why they need asylum, for the government, then, to present their evidence about why they should not be granted asylum, it has to be done in a court of law, because those are the rules that we have, right? Imperfect though they may be, those are the rules. Chaos ensues when everybody stops following the rules.”
Chapin said that there is a statute that allows the government to detain the spouse and the children of somebody who is suspected of terrorist activity.
“But in this case, there’s an exception to that if they find that the family knew nothing about it, and here there’s ample evidence to show that the family had no idea that their dad was planning this,” Chapin said.
That isn’t the only exception, she explained.
“If the family renounces the attack, then that’s also another exception. They wouldn’t be detained. And the family immediately renounced the attack,” said Chapin. “They condemned what their father allegedly did immediately afterward. And so, all of those exemptions and arguments and the law were litigated in a court of law, and again, the judge found that those did not apply to the family and children.”
DHS insists it will continue to pursue deportation.
“Under President Trump, DHS will continue to fight for the removal of those who have no right to be in our country—especially terrorists and their associates. We are confident the courts will ultimately vindicate us,” said Bis.
Lawyers for the El Gamal family are filing an appeal regarding the government’s detention attempt and removal in a circuit court. Chapin thinks there’s a chance it could go to the Supreme Court.
Schilperoort and several other women have banded together as “Neighbors of Faith and Conviction,” stating that their support is driven by their beliefs.
“We were responding to what was happening to this family from a place of Christian faith and conviction, that this is not okay,” said Schilperoort.
As part of their efforts to assist the family, Schilperoort visited El Gamal in the Family Detention Center in Dilley, about ten days ago. She said el Gamal wondered, ‘Why is the government doing this to us? Like, what have we done? Like, we want to cooperate. We haven’t done anything wrong.’
“And to see the trauma that has been inflicted on this dear family is something that, again, has forever changed me,” said Schilperoort.
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