Jodi Hildebrandt’s $5.3M Desert House Sits Unsold After Child Abuse Case

At a Glance

• Jodi Hildebrandt’s 9,214-square-foot Ivins, Utah mansion-where she and Ruby Franke abused Franke’s children-was listed for $5.3 million after their 2023 arrest
• The luxury property featured a locked panic room where investigators found rope and handcuffs used in the abuse
• After price cuts and a failed sale, the home was pulled off the market in July 2025 and remains unlisted
• Why it matters: The unsellable house stands as a stark reminder of the crimes committed inside, with its dark history deterring buyers despite luxury amenities

Once a symbol of desert luxury, Jodi Hildebrandt’s Utah mansion has become a real estate pariah. The sprawling estate where the former therapist and Ruby Franke tortured Franke’s children has spent over a year languishing on the market before finally being withdrawn unsold.

The House That Became a Crime Scene

Built in 2017 on 1.4 acres in Ivins, Utah, the property boasted every amenity: a gourmet kitchen, home theater, guesthouse, pool, and five-car garage. The listing described it as offering a “luxurious lifestyle” with “stunning” desert views.

But beneath the luxury lay horror. Washington County prosecutors called it a “work-camp like setting” where Franke’s two youngest children were:

• Deprived of food and water
• Isolated from others
• Forced into strenuous physical tasks
• Bound with ropes and handcuffs

The Panic Room Discovery

The home’s most chilling feature was hidden underground. Behind a vault door in the cement basement, investigators found what they dubbed a “panic room” containing:

• A Murphy bed
• Toilet and microwave
• Cabinets and empty appliances
• Rope and handcuffs believed used in the abuse

Washington County Attorney Eric Clarke noted in Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story that Hildebrandt claimed she didn’t know the vault code, but police easily cracked the simple combination.

A Failed Escape Plan

Before their August 2023 arrest, Hildebrandt and Franke were allegedly preparing to flee deeper into isolation. Detective Jessica Bate concluded they planned to escalate the children’s abuse after discovering:

• Hildebrandt had purchased desert land in Arizona
• Ruby’s journals mentioned plans to “drop them like hot potatoes in the desert”
• The house was being prepared for sale

The Sale That Never Happened

Following her guilty plea to four counts of aggravated child abuse, Hildebrandt listed the property in January 2024 for $5.3 million. A judge required $100,000 of proceeds go to Franke’s children.

After a pending sale fell through, the luxury home with a notorious past was pulled off the market in July 2025. Nearly six months later, it remains unlisted-an unwanted monument to cruelty hidden behind desert luxury.