Kevin Franke and Shari Franke: Child abuse is a serious problem in Utah. We cannot solve it with the status quo.

We are Kevin Franke and his oldest daughter, Shari Franke. Kevin is the former husband of Ruby Franke and a former client of licensed counselor Jodi Hildebrandt. Both women pleaded guilty to multiple counts of felony child abuse and are currently incarcerated.

Kevin’s two youngest children (Shari’s siblings) were subjected to months of horrific torture by their mother and Jodi until they were miraculously rescued in August 2023 from Jodi’s home in southern Utah. Since discovering what happened to our family, we have become passionate proponents for child welfare reform in Utah. In July 2024, we addressed members of the Utah Legislature with a joint statement. We shared how Ruby and Jodi committed their heinous acts of child abuse right under the noses of authorities, concerned family members and neighbors.

First, Ruby pulled the children out of public school under the guise of homeschooling. Second, they kept the children isolated and out of sight, including eventually moving them to Jodi’s remote desert home in southern Utah. Third, they ignored all attempted communications from state social workers at DCFS. Finally, they refused to answer the door when police or DCFS caseworkers knocked.

Importantly, parents refusing to cooperate with DCFS — such as ignoring outreach or denying access — creates a difficult “dead end” that prevents authorities from confirming the safety of children. These simple acts allowed them to torture the two children unimpeded for months in Jodi’s home. If not for divine intervention and our heroic son and brother’s courage to escape at great risk to himself, we would be mourning at least two dead children today. We concluded our joint statement by advocating for child welfare reform and the introduction of “red flag laws,” which would allow authorities, through state juvenile courts, to gain eyes on a child and investigate abuse if a certain number of red flags presented themselves.

We recognize that many oppose red flag laws in child welfare. They have concerns that government power might one day be abused to strip parents of their right to raise their children as they see fit. Utahns value and prioritize the right to raise and educate children according to their own conscience. We value these things, too, and will continue to do so. We want to believe that Utah parents have the best interests of their children in mind and that the vast majority of parents in this state do. However, we cannot allow ourselves to be ignorant of the facts: Child abuse exists in Utah, and it is getting worse. For example, just a few weeks after making our joint statement to legislators, we learned of the death of young Gavin Peterson, who died in a cruel manner at the hands of his father, stepmother and brother.

So how do we balance the rise in severe child abuse while simultaneously protecting parental rights? We believe the answer is well-defined red flag child welfare laws that are restrained by boundaries that respect parental rights while protecting children’s wellbeing. We believe the bipartisan SB0124 accomplishes this. This bill amends child welfare laws to establish a legal pathway for courts to authorize professionals — such as child welfare authorities and law enforcement — to conduct safety checks on children when credible concerns (i.e., red flags) arise and requested access is ignored or denied, without automatically separating families. It strengthens judicial oversight to ensure interventions are proportional, transparent and focused on prevention, addressing root issues like housing instability or behavioral health needs while promoting early engagement with support services. By clarifying procedures around investigative and search warrants, SB0124 creates a balanced approach that enables timely assessments and decision-making, reducing unnecessary trauma from separations and preventing delayed responses that have already endangered lives. We endorse this bill and encourage you to read it, consider it and support it, as well.

We are confident that if SB0124 had been in place in 2023, our two youngest family members would not have suffered the torture by Ruby Franke and Jodi Hildebrandt, and Gavin Peterson would still be alive today. We cannot continue in denial and cling to the belief that child abuse is not a serious problem in Utah. We cannot solve it with the status quo.

Even as you read this, a child is suffering somewhere in this state. Child abuse is more common than all of us would like to admit, and the problem is worsening. Oftentimes, those closest to children know when something is wrong and try to request intervention. However, current laws limit when and how authorities can intercede, often until it is too late to save the child.

We implore you: Please act now and support this bill. Let’s work together to stop child abuse in this state. Contact your state representative and encourage them to vote for SB0124.

Kevin Franke is a lifelong Utahn, a practicing civil engineer, a resident of Springville and former husband to convicted child abuser and former YouTube “Momfluencer” Ruby Franke.

Shari Franke is the oldest child and daughter of Kevin Franke and Ruby Franke and author of the #1 New York Times Instant Bestseller “The House of my Mother.” She is a resident of Springville.

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