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

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.” 

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?

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.

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. 

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?

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. 

“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.

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.   

“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?

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.”

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.