YouTube mom who was accused of abusing her seven children dies
A YouTube star who was accused of abusing her children has died in an Arizona hospital, Maricopa police spokesman Ricardo Alvarado said.
Police did not reveal the cause of death.
Machelle Hobson, 48, ran the "Fantastic Adventures" YouTube channel. The channel featured her seven adopted children and racked up millions of views.
The channel featured skits with the children stealing cookies or a boy having superpowers, with titles like "The FLOOR IS LAVA!" and "Escape The Babysitter!" YouTube removed the channel from its platform after determining it violated its guidelines.
In March, the mother of seven was arrested and accused of 30 counts of kidnapping and child abuse after a welfare check was conducted at her home. She pleaded not guilty to the charges at the time.
Hobson would withhold food and water from the children for days, pepper-spray them, force them to take ice baths and lock them in a barren closet, according to a statement of probable cause.
The mother also allegedly kept the children from school for years so that they could continue making YouTube videos.
All of Hobson's children were removed from her custody.
