The arrest came after a neighbor called 911, reporting Franke’s youngest son appeared on their doorstep asking for help. 12-year-old son had duct tape around his ankles, appearing “emaciated” and “abnormally thin and weak. He was begging for food.
More details of the abuse surfaced in September when officers from the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department obtained search warrants.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported the shocking abuse within the Franke family.
According to prosecutors, Franke forced her youngest son’s head underwater and smothered him with her hands, restricting his oxygen.
She also admitted subjecting her youngest daughter, aged 10, to punishment by making her run barefoot on dirt roads and withholding food and water. Franke reportedly berated her youngest daughter, branding her as “evil” and “possessed.”
The boy also had apparent wounds from ropes around his wrists and ankles, with claims that cayenne pepper and honey were used to treat the injuries.
The two oldest children were routinely handcuffed, beaten, denied food and water, and told that they were possessed.
The Role of Jodi Hildebrandt
