YouTube terminated Fantastic Adventurers, a popular channel with nearly 800,000 subscribers, after outcry over the child abuse charges.

An Arizona woman who earned tens of thousands of dollars from YouTube videos starring her children allegedly tortured them, kept them locked in a closet, and starved them if they didn't perform for the camera. Machelle Hackney, who was arrested and charged with child abuse, molestation, child neglect, and unlawful imprisonment of her seven children, ran Fantastic Adventures, a popular YouTube channel with nearly 800,000 subscribers. The videos were scripted and starred her children and other adults, usually with superhero themes or Nerf battles.

YouTube

Maricopa police visited Hackney's home on March 13 after a tip-off from her adult daughter, and found that the children, who are between 3 and 15 years old, "appeared to be malnourished," with dark rings under their eyes and pale complexions.

One daughter told investigators Hackney kept her locked in a closet for days at a time with no food, water, or bathroom, according to the probable cause documents filed by police. She also said Hackney pepper-sprayed the children, spanked them, and forced them to have ice baths, in which she would push their heads underwater.

One son told police he was beaten with various instruments, including a hanger and a belt, and that on multiple occasions Hackney pinched the tip of his penis with her fingernails until it bled. Another girl told police Hackney pepper-sprayed her in her vagina, which caused days of pain. In addition to allegedly being punished if they did not recall their lines or participate as directed, the children told officers they had not attended school for years. Instead, one child told investigators that his brother had been "in the green screen room most of his life," referring to a video production room. Hackney denied the allegations to police. Her adult sons, Logan and Ryan Hackney, were charged with failing to report the alleged abuse.

The Fantastic Adventures videos, each running over 10 minutes, were uploaded weekly to YouTube, with the most recent published just one week ago. And they were immensely popular, earning over 1 million views each last year. One video published in November logged more than 21 million views.



Pinal County Detention Center Machelle Hackney.