Logan Hackney and his brother Ryan Hackney, left and right, have been charged with sexual abuse several years after authorities dropped a criminal case against them for allegedly failing to report their mother, Machelle Hobson, abusing their adopted siblings. (Mugshots of the Hackneys: Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office; mugshot of Hobson: Pinal County Sheriff’s Office via AP, file)
When a “YouTube Mom” died of natural causes in 2019, it of course ended the criminal case against her, but a legacy of alleged abuse continues to haunt the family as her sons have been charged with molestation. Logan Hackney, 31, faces four counts of sexual conduct with a minor. Ryan Hackney, 29, faces two counts of the same crime.
The brothers’ ignominious claim to fame is through their mother, Machelle Hobson. She died of natural causes in 2019 ahead of trial for allegedly abusing her adoptive children and forcing them to star in her videos for the now-defunct YouTube channel “Fantastic Adventures.” Hobson was accused of an array of horrifying acts. For example, she allegedly pepper-sprayed the children all over their bodies, including their genitals; and she allegedly shut them in a closet without access to food, water, or a bathroom.
The children were known for appearing on the “Fantastic Adventurers” channel, which garnered over 700,000 subscribers before YouTube took it down. Life was full of terror behind the scenes, cops said. Hobson allegedly abused them if they forgot their lines or tried to get out of the videos, and she allegedly took them out of school to act in the productions. They hadn’t gone to class in “years,” the kids said, according to police.
The abuse left its mark, both physical and mental, cops said. According to investigators, the adopted children looked malnourished and said they were thirsty and hungry. One boy drank three bottles of water in under 20 minutes, police said. Another girl was offered a bag of chips but was afraid to eat it because she didn’t want her mother to smell the food on her breath, according to authorities.
The Hackney brothers were initially arrested in Pinal County for failing to report the abuse, though prosecutors never filed formal charges.
The new charges happened after a delayed referral by Maricopa police to Mesa cops, according to KNXV, which first reported the arrests on Monday. Ryan Hackney was arrested on March 16 and released with an electronic monitor on March 18, a police spokesperson in Mesa, Arizona, told Law&Crime. Logan Hackney was arrested on April 25 and remains in a Maricopa County jail on a $20,000 bond, records show.
A victim in Logan Hackney’s case told Maricopa cops about Logan sexually abusing her more than once while in Mesa, Arizona, according to documents obtained by Law&Crime. She was in elementary school at the time.
“Based on school records, a timeframe of August 2011 to February 2012 was developed,” cops said. “This would make the victim approximately 9 years old and the defendant approximately 20 years old. The victim recalls the defendant being out of high school.”
Another person, then 25 at the time of the forensic interview, told cops in detail about Logan Hackney sexually abusing her.
“This began when she was five years old,” investigators said.
Another person, then 22 at the time of the interview, told police about Logan Hackney sexually abusing her when she was 6 to 9 years old. That case happened in Maricopa, Arizona, in Pinal County, and it was forwarded to local cops.
Ryan Hackney faces very similar, if not identical, claims. A victim told investigators about him sexually abusing her more than once while in Mesa, Arizona. Authorities do not spell out if this was the same elementary school-aged victim in the Logan Hackney complaint, but the details match.
“Based on school records, a timeframe of August 2011 to February 2012 was developed,” authorities wrote in his case. “This would make the victim approximately 9 years old and the defendant approximately 18 years old. The victim recalls the defendant being out of high school.”
Two other victims also made separate claims of sexual abuse. As in Logan Hackney’s case, one described being abused sometime between the ages of 6 and 9.
They have both pleaded not guilty to the charges. Ryan Hackney is scheduled for trial to start Aug. 17, and Logan Hackney is scheduled for trial to begin Aug. 31.
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