The Fantastic Adventures scandal was a 2019 scandal in involving the

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel Fantastic Adventures, run by Machelle Hackney Hobson of

Maricopa, Arizona Maricopa is a city in the Gila River Valley in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. With 62,720 residents as of 2021, Maricopa is the largest incorporated municipality in Pinal County History Maricopa has had three locations over the years: ...

, United States. The scandal began when one of Hobson's biological children contacted the police after witnessing her adopted siblings (Felipe, Summer, Elijah, Hailey, Jacob, Grayson and one unidentified child) being systematically

abused Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

by her mother. Fantastic Adventures gained worldwide media attention because of Hobson's motive of abuse towards the adopted children.

Background

Machelle Hackney Hobson's

channel, Fantastic Adventures, was created on June 17, 2012, and ultimately gained 800,726 subscribers. In 2011, Hobson's former husband had stated that she pulled their daughter Megan from school in order to take care of her

adopted Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

children. In 2017, a child that was involved in Hobson's videos was seen

streaking Streaking is the act of running, often naked, through a public area for publicity, as a prank, a dare, or a form of protest. Streaking is often associated with sporting events, but can occur in more secluded areas. Streakers are often pursued b ...

through the neighborhood, raising suspicions among the neighbors. According to the Arizona Department of Child Safety, she was investigated 9 times. On March 13, 2019, Megan reported her mother to police. The report came after many of Hobson's neighbors had reported suspicious activity regarding Fantastic Adventures and called the Department of Child Safety (DCS) more than fifteen times to her house. Her biological siblings, Logan and Ryan, were also arrested but later, not charged as they are not involved in the abuse and their biological father had withdrawn money from his wife's bank account in retaliation for the abuse of the adoptive children. One of the brothers even admitted that they told police about the abuse. According to Hobson's

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account, one of her adopted daughters, Hailey, was

legally blind Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

Death

Hobson died in a Scottsdale hospital on November 12, 2019, having been released from jail in June and declared not competent to stand trial in August. All seven children were removed from the home and placed into

foster care Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family mem ...

after Hobson's death, and Fantastic Adventures's earnings were sent to the children who had appeared on the channel. The whereabouts of the seven adoptive children, Mr. Hobson and the biological children (Megan, Logan and Ryan) remains unknown.

Reactions

* Torrie Taj, CEO of Child Crisis Arizona, called the mother behind the scandal a "master manipulator" and stated that Hobson did not have the qualification to adopt children. * YouTube announced that it would be working with the

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress. In September 2013, the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and the Pres ...

to find any users who were abusing children and that anyone who was convicted would have their channel terminated.

References

External links

Instagram page
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Background

Death

Reactions

See also

References

External links