Ruby Franke Siblings: Meet Bonnie Hoellein, Julie Griffiths Deru, Ellie Mecham and Beau Griffiths
Ruby Franke is a former American family vlogger who rose to prominence through her YouTube channel 8 Passengers, where she documented the daily life of her family of eight in Springville, Utah.
She built a following of more than 2.5 million subscribers before her public image collapsed in August 2023, when she was arrested on aggravated child abuse charges alongside her business partner Jodi Hildebrandt.
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She later pleaded guilty to four counts of felony child abuse and was sentenced to four consecutive terms of one to 15 years in prison.
Ruby Griffiths was born on January 18, 1982, in Utah. Of white American origin, she was raised in a deeply religious household belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by her parents, Chad and Jennifer Griffiths.
She grew up alongside her four siblings: sisters Bonnie Hoellein, Ellie Mecham, and Julie Griffiths Deru, and brother Beau Griffiths.
Raised in a home where faith was the foundation of daily life, she and her sisters were taught that motherhood should be the primary purpose of a Mormon woman.
Details about her formal education are not publicly available, though she is known to have completed her studies before marrying Kevin Franke in 2000.
Bonnie Hoellein
Bonnie Hoellein is Ruby’s younger sister and one of the most prominent figures among the Griffiths siblings.
Born on November 27, 1985, in Utah, she is the daughter of Chad and Jennifer Griffiths and is of white ethnicity, raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Like Ruby, Bonnie built a successful career on YouTube, running a lifestyle and family vlogging channel that attracted over 1.4 million subscribers.
She attended high school in Utah, where she met her future husband.
She married her high school sweetheart Joel Hoellein in May 2007, and together they have four children: Olivia Hoellein, Cody Hoellein, Lincoln Hoellein, and Boston Hoellein.
In the days following Ruby’s arrest in August 2023, Bonnie posted a video titled “My Statement on My Sister Ruby Franke,” in which she expressed relief that her nieces and nephews were finally safe.
“It feels like a weight has been lifted as we now know our nieces and nephews are safe,” she said.
Julie Griffiths Deru
Julie Griffiths Deru, Ruby’s younger sisters and the creator of the family vlog channel “Deru Crew Vlogs.”
Born on June 25, 1988, in Utah, she is the daughter of Chad and Jennifer Griffiths and is of white ethnicity, raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Julie is a registered nurse by profession and has worked in the medical field alongside her content creation career.
She and her husband, Landon Deru, share five children named Emma, Cooper, Porter, Lucy, and Millie, and the family resides in Kansas City, Missouri.
Julie was among the first of the siblings to speak publicly after Ruby’s arrest, appearing in a video on her channel in which she stated that she “had no idea what was happening” inside Ruby’s household.
Ellie Mecham
Ellie Mecham, Ruby’s youngest sister and the face of the popular YouTube channel “Ellie and Jared,” which she runs alongside her husband Jared Mecham.
Born on April 19, 1991, in Utah, she is the daughter of Chad and Jennifer Griffiths and is of white ethnicity, raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Ellie married Jared after completing high school when she was only 18 years old, and the couple has four children, including sons Jackson, Calvin, and Tommy Joel.
She has been open about her struggles with infertility and polycystic ovary syndrome, which she and Jared documented on their channel.
Along with Bonnie and Julie, Ellie issued a unified statement on Instagram the day after Ruby’s arrest, writing that the situation “needed to happen” and that the children were now safe.
Beau Griffiths
Beau Griffiths, Ruby’s only brother and the youngest of the five siblings.
Born on September 20, 1983, in Logan, Utah, he is the son of Chad and Jennifer Griffiths and is of white ethnicity, raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Unlike his sisters, Beau has maintained a much lower public profile, though he briefly ran a family vlog channel called “A Griffiths Life Vlogs.”
He obtained a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Utah State University in 2009 before earning a master’s degree in electrical, electronics, and communications engineering from Arizona State University.
He has worked as an electrical engineer for Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems and later as an avionics engineer for NASA.
When Ruby was sentenced in February 2024, Beau submitted a formal written letter to the court that was read aloud during the hearing.
In it, he described how he and Ruby had both joined Jodi Hildebrandt’s ConneXions program, which he later came to recognize as a cult.
“Many of the teachings from the ConneXions program were reasonable and good.
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