Jodi Hildebrandt.Photo:Moms of Truth/ Instagram
Moms of Truth/ Instagram
“Given the heinous abuse allegations, the agency felt that the surrender of the license was the best course of action to protect the safety of Hildebrandt’s patients and clients,” Margaret Busse, the executive director of the Utah Department of Commerce said in a statement to the media on Tuesday.
Despite agreeing to freezing her license, the agreement states Hildebrandt “does not herein admit any wrongdoing” in regards to her arrest and six felony child abuse charges.
Hildebrandt, 54, was arrested at her home in Ivins, Utah, late last month alongsideFranke, a former family vlogger who amassed millions of viewers on YouTube before teaming up with Hildebrandt to share controversial parenting advice under their “Moms of Truth” social media page.
Franke, 41, also faces six felony charges for child abuse after police found her two youngest children “emaciated” at Hildebrandt’s home on August 30, police have said.
Jodi Hildebrandt.Moms of Truth/ Instagram
Officers responded to the southwestern Utah home after a neighbor called 911 to report Franke’s 12-year-old son had allegedly escaped Hildebrandt’s house and came to his home pleading for food and water. The boy allegedly had visible wounds and markings from being bound with duct tape, authorities said.Responding officers from the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Department soon allegedly found Franke’s 10-year-old daughter in “a similar physical condition of malnourishment” inside Hildebrandt’s home and transported both children to a local hospital. Franke’s two teenage children were later taken into custody at the family’s home in Springville, Utah, about four hours north of Ivins.
In the weeks since their arrest, family, neighbors, and former patients have all spoken out against the women, who are currently being held without bond in a Utah jail, awaiting their next court hearingexpected to take placein early October.
One of Hildebrandt’s former patients, Adam Steed,told PEOPLE recentlythat the Mormon therapist had “destroyed” his life through her counseling.“Her doctrine is that she believes that relationships need to die before they can be reborn,” Hildebrandt’s former patient said.
Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up forPEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletterfor breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.A number of Franke’sfamily membersandneighborshave offered similar accounts in recent weeks, claiming they too attempted to warn authorities about “red flags” and potentially abusive behavior from the once popular Mormon family vlogger.
“Me and my family are so glad justice is being served,” Franke’s oldest daughter Shari, 20, wrote on Instagram after her mother was arrested. “We’ve been trying to tell the police and CPS for years about this, and so glad they finally decided to step up.”
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
source: people.com
