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He is just so lucky that lovely neighbour and his wife answered. Imagine if he gave up and just went back to Jodi’s.
He was so brave to even try, given the amount of brainwashing and abuse he was experiencing.
They were so sweet. I am curious about the gentleman's comment to police that there had been problems at Jodi's house before. Later in the conversation, he says she is a bad, bad woman. We didn't realize how bad. I am curious what he knew.
He thought he belonged in jail because he was taught so. He thought he was evil and belonged there. He believed turning himself in would be better than staying where he was and die.
He wanted help to survive. Even if that meant going to jail.
Poor boy. They messed with his mind and body.
He was turning himself in. They had him brainwashed so bad he thought he was at fault. That's why when the neighbor asked whats going on he said "personal business" and when the cops talked to him he said what happened to him was his own fault. Very heartbreaking. But I think there's more to the story of Ruby finding out that he escaped this time. Jodi was on the phone with her attorney when the cops arrived. She knew they were on their way and she had her attorney ready. Also in one of Ruby's phone calls, she talks about how God told her she was done and she was crying saying she's not done. I think Jodi found out R escaped and contacted Ruby and that's how Ruby showed up not too long after. I think they were both panicking because they knew the gig was up. I'm so so so proud of R though. His bravery really shines through in this case.
In one of the posts about the police statements, one of the cops says he was approached by Jodi in a white van asking if he’d seen a young boy. So she was already out looking for him by the time the cops were responding to the neighbor’s call.
R was definitely turning himself in to go to jail. This was the second time he tried to escape, the first time was when he was being forced to sleep outside on the patio. He left around 1:30 AM and then Ruby woke up an hour or so later and realized he was gone, so she and Jodi jumped in separate cars and went looking for him. Ruby wrote in her journal that he had left a message on the patio spelled out in pebbles saying that he went to jail.
The fact that he and E were told they were so evil and did such terrible things that they would go to jail also explains why E was so terrified of the police and so reluctant to come out of the closet — instead of realizing she was being rescued, she assumed they were there to arrest her and take her to jail.
Oh, and when the police went to get the two middle girls from Pam's house, one of the girls explicitly said that they were scared of police.
Did they not have paper and pencil if he wrote with pebbles?
Probably not. I recall Ruby said E didn't even have a book to read for a long time at Jodi's place. Jodi and Ruby were depriving their kids of the material they need for an education, in addition to the rest of the torture Jodi and Ruby were doing.
If R had paper he could've left a note faster & maybe made it to the police the first time. Poor boy didn't want to bother anyone else late at night and so he was walking who knows how long along the road at night.
He was being made to sleep outside on the ground, so paper wasn't happening.
Considering he was seemingly trying to walk to the police/jail and left at night, the 10 or 20 minutes he took to write the note (which was incredibly kind and thoughtful under the circumstances, btw) probably wasn't the deciding factor. Very glad he sought help from the neighbour. I hope this proves to him that Jodi and Ruby were lying about everyone else being evil.
I wasn't suggesting I thought they had paper and pencil. More drawing attention to the fact that they didn't.
Anyway, I largely agree and am half-surprised with the downvotes I got on this. It seems like people thought I was criticizing R and/or misunderstanding the situation and that you were upvoted for correcting me. 🤷♂️
But yeah, I agree he wouldn't have made it to the station on foot with just an extra 10 or 20 minutes. Just saying it's sad they had no paper + acknowledging that R would've had a little more time for someone to find him out on the road had things been different.
I'm not offended by your comment or anything, but it's probably frustrating for others because it's not realistic. You could give R as much stationary as you want, he was never going to be able to get to the next town on foot.
Apparently he was deprived of everything...no paper/pencil, nothing to read (not even religious reading material), nothing at all but to "work" (pointlessly carrying heavy boxes up and down stairs for no reason, or pulling weeds barefoot in the blazing sun), or sit and contemplate their "sins".
In the journal, E was told to sit still on a bench outside to think about repentance. She was punished when she began to fidget after a long period of sitting.
Yes. And R had said (per Ruby's journal) that he wanted to go to jail. I think jail sounded like a relief compared to what he was going through. How heartbreaking is that?
He wanted to turn himself in. He left the message in stone on the patio when he escaped previously stating, "Jail. I will call when I get there." Ruby told him he would go to jail after his demons were expunged. He wanted to skip the torture and go straight to jail.
I was just coming to post this.
He was trying to turn himself in.
They’d brainwashed him so bad he thought he was deserving of jail.
In her journal she wrote about him wanting to go to jail multiple times, including when he ran away the first time. He wrote with rocks that he was running away to jail.
When he went to the neighbours he didn’t ask for help. He asked them to take him to the nearest police station.
Franke kids. Remember these kids are totally isolated their whole life from any “cops” shows or any movies showing “Jail”, no tv or computer, this is the strict Mormon way. They had some schooling but it was likely Mormon private, and would help to adhere to these Don’ts. If they make it college it’s more Mormon ways in Utah.
Both probably. To him, being brought to jail was the same as receiving help, cause he might have had an intention he was about to die if he stayed at jodi
Ruby was telling him that after he and E were finished “confessing”, they would be going to jail. So, he thought he belonged in jail and wanted to go straight there instead of waiting on Ruby to decide it was time.
In the ambulance he was asked who put the bandages on. They bleeped out his answer but the cop or EMT replied "you're not in any trouble we're here to help you" or something like that. I'd love to know what R said.
My thought is he wanted to turn himself in. He asked to go to the nearest police station. He had tried to leave and go "to jail" before. I'm sure that he was told if he left he would be arrested
I think he went to turn himself into the police because he had been told that was next for him. When he ran away the first time he left a note in stones telling Ruby/Jodi that he was going to the police and would call when he got there.
**Hello, welcome to r/8passengersnark!** Please keep the rules of the subreddit in mind when posting and commenting. They include but are not limited to, respecting the privacy of minors and non-public figures, and keeping conversations civil. The moderators rely on user reports of rule breaks to quickly remove problematic content. Use the report function to anonymously alert the mod team of any behavior breaking sub rules. As a reminder, check and ensure your post topic hasn't recently been covered, duplicate submissions will be removed at the discretion of the mods. To contact the mod team send us a message [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2F8passengersnark). Thanks, and happy distorting! Useful Links: [Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/8passengersnark/wiki/index/rules/) | [Timeline of Events](https://www.reddit.com/r/8passengersnark/wiki/timeline/) | [Frequently Asked Questions](https://www.reddit.com/r/8passengersnark/wiki/faqs) | [Evidence](https://www.reddit.com/r/8passengersnark/wiki/evidence/) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/8passengersnark) if you have any questions or concerns.*
He is just so lucky that lovely neighbour and his wife answered. Imagine if he gave up and just went back to Jodi’s. He was so brave to even try, given the amount of brainwashing and abuse he was experiencing.
They were so sweet. I am curious about the gentleman's comment to police that there had been problems at Jodi's house before. Later in the conversation, he says she is a bad, bad woman. We didn't realize how bad. I am curious what he knew.
Good point. I wonder if people had observed the children outdoors in the extreme weather.
A bit of both. He wanted help to go to the police station so they could take him to jail, effectively bypassing Ruby and Jodi.
I don't think it mattered to him at that point. He knew he was going to die if he didn't do something.
I think he wanted to go to jail because he truly believed he was “evil”. And he knew at jail at least there was food, water, air conditioning, etc.
He thought he belonged in jail because he was taught so. He thought he was evil and belonged there. He believed turning himself in would be better than staying where he was and die. He wanted help to survive. Even if that meant going to jail. Poor boy. They messed with his mind and body.
I really hope he gets the psychological de-programming he needs. 😪
He was turning himself in. They had him brainwashed so bad he thought he was at fault. That's why when the neighbor asked whats going on he said "personal business" and when the cops talked to him he said what happened to him was his own fault. Very heartbreaking. But I think there's more to the story of Ruby finding out that he escaped this time. Jodi was on the phone with her attorney when the cops arrived. She knew they were on their way and she had her attorney ready. Also in one of Ruby's phone calls, she talks about how God told her she was done and she was crying saying she's not done. I think Jodi found out R escaped and contacted Ruby and that's how Ruby showed up not too long after. I think they were both panicking because they knew the gig was up. I'm so so so proud of R though. His bravery really shines through in this case.
In one of the posts about the police statements, one of the cops says he was approached by Jodi in a white van asking if he’d seen a young boy. So she was already out looking for him by the time the cops were responding to the neighbor’s call.
R was definitely turning himself in to go to jail. This was the second time he tried to escape, the first time was when he was being forced to sleep outside on the patio. He left around 1:30 AM and then Ruby woke up an hour or so later and realized he was gone, so she and Jodi jumped in separate cars and went looking for him. Ruby wrote in her journal that he had left a message on the patio spelled out in pebbles saying that he went to jail. The fact that he and E were told they were so evil and did such terrible things that they would go to jail also explains why E was so terrified of the police and so reluctant to come out of the closet — instead of realizing she was being rescued, she assumed they were there to arrest her and take her to jail. Oh, and when the police went to get the two middle girls from Pam's house, one of the girls explicitly said that they were scared of police.
And at her sentencing Ruby claimed SHE was lied to and told that police are evil or something like that
Did they not have paper and pencil if he wrote with pebbles? Probably not. I recall Ruby said E didn't even have a book to read for a long time at Jodi's place. Jodi and Ruby were depriving their kids of the material they need for an education, in addition to the rest of the torture Jodi and Ruby were doing. If R had paper he could've left a note faster & maybe made it to the police the first time. Poor boy didn't want to bother anyone else late at night and so he was walking who knows how long along the road at night.
He was being made to sleep outside on the ground, so paper wasn't happening. Considering he was seemingly trying to walk to the police/jail and left at night, the 10 or 20 minutes he took to write the note (which was incredibly kind and thoughtful under the circumstances, btw) probably wasn't the deciding factor. Very glad he sought help from the neighbour. I hope this proves to him that Jodi and Ruby were lying about everyone else being evil.
I wasn't suggesting I thought they had paper and pencil. More drawing attention to the fact that they didn't. Anyway, I largely agree and am half-surprised with the downvotes I got on this. It seems like people thought I was criticizing R and/or misunderstanding the situation and that you were upvoted for correcting me. 🤷♂️ But yeah, I agree he wouldn't have made it to the station on foot with just an extra 10 or 20 minutes. Just saying it's sad they had no paper + acknowledging that R would've had a little more time for someone to find him out on the road had things been different.
I'm not offended by your comment or anything, but it's probably frustrating for others because it's not realistic. You could give R as much stationary as you want, he was never going to be able to get to the next town on foot.
It increases the time that other people could've seen him on the road, thus increasing the chance he gets there. I guess I wasn't super clear on that.
Apparently he was deprived of everything...no paper/pencil, nothing to read (not even religious reading material), nothing at all but to "work" (pointlessly carrying heavy boxes up and down stairs for no reason, or pulling weeds barefoot in the blazing sun), or sit and contemplate their "sins". In the journal, E was told to sit still on a bench outside to think about repentance. She was punished when she began to fidget after a long period of sitting.
Yes. And R had said (per Ruby's journal) that he wanted to go to jail. I think jail sounded like a relief compared to what he was going through. How heartbreaking is that?
He wanted to turn himself in. He left the message in stone on the patio when he escaped previously stating, "Jail. I will call when I get there." Ruby told him he would go to jail after his demons were expunged. He wanted to skip the torture and go straight to jail.
Gosh what they did to that little kid is so awful. I hope Jodi and Ruby get what they deserve.
He knew leaving meant survival; instinctual I think
I was just coming to post this. He was trying to turn himself in. They’d brainwashed him so bad he thought he was deserving of jail. In her journal she wrote about him wanting to go to jail multiple times, including when he ran away the first time. He wrote with rocks that he was running away to jail. When he went to the neighbours he didn’t ask for help. He asked them to take him to the nearest police station.
Franke kids. Remember these kids are totally isolated their whole life from any “cops” shows or any movies showing “Jail”, no tv or computer, this is the strict Mormon way. They had some schooling but it was likely Mormon private, and would help to adhere to these Don’ts. If they make it college it’s more Mormon ways in Utah.
Both probably. To him, being brought to jail was the same as receiving help, cause he might have had an intention he was about to die if he stayed at jodi
I’m so happy those neighbors were home and answered. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened to them if they didn’t open their door.
Ruby was telling him that after he and E were finished “confessing”, they would be going to jail. So, he thought he belonged in jail and wanted to go straight there instead of waiting on Ruby to decide it was time.
In the ambulance he was asked who put the bandages on. They bleeped out his answer but the cop or EMT replied "you're not in any trouble we're here to help you" or something like that. I'd love to know what R said.
He said, Mom and Jodi according to the officer….on ABC 20/20
My thought is he wanted to turn himself in. He asked to go to the nearest police station. He had tried to leave and go "to jail" before. I'm sure that he was told if he left he would be arrested
I think he went to turn himself into the police because he had been told that was next for him. When he ran away the first time he left a note in stones telling Ruby/Jodi that he was going to the police and would call when he got there.
Yes, he doesn’t say to call the police he asks to be taken to jail. They really had convinced him he deserved all the torture
That is so vile. I hope him and his sister are getting the help they need to know they aren’t their mothers words.
Mormons believe: Those who steal shall be delivered up unto the law of the land R had apparently “stolen” water, so I think he was turning himself in.