Police say Ruby Franke’s daughter was “terrified” after being found
“You’re more than welcome to eat,” the officer reassures her. “Eat to your heart’s content, dear. That’s all for you.”
Encouraged by the officer, E. is seen helping herself to some pizza in the video. A later clip, timestamped around 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 30, four hours after she was initially found by authorities, shows a woman EMT inside the closet having a soft conversation with the child, who seems to respond in redacted parts of the audio.
“We assisted your brother,” the EMT reassures E. “We also want to help you.”
Eventually, the young girl gets up and leaves the closet.
This incident occurred shortly after Franke’s 12-year-old son escaped and sought help from a neighbor’s house, leading to the arrests of Franke and Hildebrandt. According to a summary by the Washington County Attorney’s Office, Franke and Hildebrandt subjected the two children to a “work camp-like environment.”
“The children were consistently deprived of food, water, proper sleeping arrangements, and almost any form of entertainment,” the summary explains, detailing instances of physical abuse. “The children endured emotional abuse to the extent that they believed they deserved it.”