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Netflix has released a new documentary exploring Jody Hildebrandta Utah therapist who was arrested in 2023 for child abuse.
In an interview in September independentHeidbrandt’s niece Jessie shared how difficult it was to speak openly about the abuse they suffered at their aunt’s side. Disgraced YouTuber Ruby Franke and Jody’s child abuse scandal.
Franke is a Utah mother of 6 and former parenting YouTuber best known for her channel 8 passengersShe and her business partner/therapist Hildebrandt were arrested in August 2023 after Frank’s 12-year-old son escaped from Hildebrandt’s home. He was found malnourished and his wounds were bound with duct tape. Authorities later discovered that Frank’s 10-year-old daughter had a similar condition.
Both women were charged with multiple counts of aggravated child abuse and Sentenced last year 4 to 30 years in prison.
Netflix’s new documentary, Evil Influencer: The Jody Hildebrandt Storyfocuses on Jody’s teachings and influence as a therapist, and includes interviews with former clients who describe her methods and the impact they say she had on their lives.
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Meanwhile, ID’s four-part documentary series, Ruby and Jody: The Cult of Sin and InfluenceThe show, which aired in September, followed Jess and her own allegations of abuse against Jody.
Jessi, who uses “they/them” pronouns, claims their aunt locked them in a closet-sized room for hours, made them write down all their “sins,” made them sleep outside in the snow, and didn’t talk to anyone except Jody.
After escaping from Jody, Jesse didn’t hear from her aunt for several years until a friend told them that Jody had been arrested along with Frank.
“When she was arrested, I started speaking out, and I remember when I decided to help, or help in any way I could,” Jesse said. “I remember that moment… a feeling of fear running through my body.”
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“I thought she was going to attack me, that she was going to come to me,” they added.
Jesse said they still have nightmares about Jody chasing them. “To this day, my biggest nightmare is… that she’s right behind me,” they said. “I was so scared of Jody.”
Although Jesse has never contacted their aunt since she was a teenager, she hopes to attend Jody and Frank’s parole hearing, which is scheduled for December 2026. “I really wish I could go there,” they said. “I’m scared of it, but I think it’s going to be an important place.”
Jesse also talked about How important it is for people to know their aunties To understand why Franka abused her children.
“It seems like a lot of it is centered around Ruby, which is totally understandable,” Jesse said of other documentaries about their aunt and Frank. “I think a lot of people are confused about it. They’re confused about Kevin [Franke’s ex-husband and father of their six children];They are confused. How could a mother…how could a father treat his child like this? “
“I think a lot of these questions can be answered by getting to know Jodi better,” they told independent. “Ruby really doesn’t mean anything unless you understand Jodi. Jodi doesn’t really mean anything unless you understand the Mormon church. There are so many pieces of the puzzle that need to be put together to make this picture cohere, and I think if you just focus on Ruby (which a lot of people do, understandably), they’re missing the big picture.”
Evil Influencer: The Jody Hildebrandt Story Available to watch on Netflix.