ST. GEORGE — Additional information contained in a search warrant involving the two Utah women facing multiple counts of child abuse reveal in greater detail the alleged methods used to discipline several children.
The two suspects, Jodi Ann Hildebrandt, 54, of Ivins, and Ruby Franke, 41, of Springville, are each facing six felony counts of aggravated child abuse, charges they made an initial appearance on in 5th District Court in St. George on Sept. 1.
The charges were submitted after St. George Communications Center received a report that a juvenile had climbed out of the window of an Ivins residence and run to a neighbor’s house. And during a search of Hildebrandt’s residence, officers found a second younger child who was also found in a malnourished condition, according to the probable cause statements filed at the time of the arrests.
But on Thursday, two search warrants that were signed on the afternoon of Aug. 30, were made public, the second of which was filed to recover the suspects’ cell phones, cameras and other digital and communication devices.
In the first warrant filed within four hours of the initial call to police, the officer described the child who was found at the neighbor’s house as being in a “severe” state of malnourishment. They also found open wounds and deep lacerations caused by “the rope that was used to tie the victim to the ground.”
The ropes, officers learned, were reportedly tied by Franke, the child’s mother, who was allegedly the one who secured the ropes around both children’s ankles and wrists to keep them tied to the ground. The warrant also stated that once the children were bound, cayenne pepper and honey were applied to dress the wounds, the investigator noted.
During a search of Hildebrandt’s bathroom, officers located a container of cayenne pepper and a jar of honey paste near two used gauze dressings, leading detectives to suspect that Hildebrand was aware of the abuse going on in the home.
Officers learned there were at least three children staying inside the home at the time police were called, including the 12-year-old who escaped to the neighbor’s house and the younger victim who was found later in a similar emaciated condition. Another juvenile was located by officers during a sweep of the Hildebrandt home, but no further details on the child were included in the affidavit.
Officers requested a warrant to collect rope and duct tape used to bind the children or used to cover the wounds caused by the ropes. The warrant authorized investigators to collect any plastic or shrink wrap that was reportedly used to cover any injuries and to search a “safe room” that was locked near the basement.
The investigation is ongoing.
A bail review hearing for both defendants that was scheduled to take place on Monday was continued to allow time for both the state and the defense to go through the evidence so far collected in the case. The hearing has yet to be scheduled and both defendants remain in custody at the Purgatory Correctional Facility facility located in Hurricane.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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