unknown Number: The High School Catfish, a documentary out Friday on Netflix, explores the shocking true story of a mother who catfished her own daughter—meaning she sent hostile text messages from an unknown number, including several telling her daughter to kill herself.
In the small town of Beal City, Michigan, authorities say that starting in the fall of 2021, Kendra Licari sent aggressive text messages for over a year under an unknown number telling her daughter Lauryn and her boyfriend Owen to break up and pretending to be another classmate who was pining for him.
In 2023, a judge sentenced Kendra to at least 19 months in prison. Directed by Skye Borgman, Unknown Number features the belligerent text messages, police body cam footage of the moment Kendra was arrested, interviews with Kendra’s daughter Lauryn, her ex-boyfriend Owen, his parents, classmates and their families, school officials, local police, and the FBI liaison who took over the case.
Here are the most shocking moments in Unknown Number.
The text messages
Lauryn and Owen would call the unknown number, but no one ever picked up at the other end. Owen received as many as 30-50 messages a day from the mystery sender.
Many of the messages were extremely lewd, repeatedly telling Lauryn that Owen is going to break up with her because she was not fulfilling him sexually. One text to Lauryn read, “he wants sex, bjs n making out, he don’t want ur sry a**”, while another referred to “his dick n fingers my pussy n mouth.”
After dating for about two years, Lauryn and Owen broke up, largely because they were scared about the text messages and hoped that they would stop if they were not a couple anymore. Despite breaking up, Lauryn received a deluge of messages like “kill yourself now b****”, “his life would be better if you were dead”, and “DEAD #bangbang #suicide.”
Introduction
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The Unfolding Nightmare
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Origins of the Harassment: In October 2020, high school students Lauryn Licari and her longtime friend-turned-boyfriend, Owen McKenny, received their first cryptic text from a blocked number—claiming Owen was breaking up with Lauryn. These messages stopped… only to return a year later with escalating frequency and hostility People.comBig Rapids Pioneer.
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Torrid Texts and Rising Fear: The harassment intensified—up to 40–50 explicit and psychologically damaging texts per day. The sender wielded personal knowledge, referencing outfits, nicknames, and inside details to deeply unsettle Lauryn People.comTIMEThe Sun.
Community in Suspicion
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Broken Trust and Blame: As the texts intensified, suspicion quickly fell on classmates and friends. Accusations tore through the school community, fueling mistrust and social isolation among teens whose only crime was asking for help People.comNetflix.
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Escalating Trauma and Fallout: The emotional toll fractured Lauryn and Owen’s relationship. Tensions grew until they separated—though the messages only became more menacing, including death threats and encouragements to self-harm People.comNetflix.
FBI’s Jaw-Dropping Discovery
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Tracking the Untraceable: Local law enforcement hit a dead end. Eventually, the FBI used subpoenas and digital tracking to trace the messages back—through regenerating burner numbers—to an IP linked to a most unlikely source People.comNetflix.
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Unmasking the Perpetrator: In a twist that shook the town, the sender was revealed as Lauryn’s mother, Kendra Licari. The confrontation—captured on bodycam—left Lauryn stunned beyond comprehension People.comNetflix.
Aftermath & Consequences
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Legal and Emotional Fallout: Kendra pled guilty to stalking and related charges. She was sentenced to 19 months to 5 years in prison and released on parole in August 2024 People.comNetflix.
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Family Fracture and Father-Daughter Bond: Lauryn now lives with her father, who gained full custody following his divorce from Kendra. Despite the betrayal, Lauryn has expressed a tentative openness to rebuilding their relationship—when the time is right People.comNetflix.
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Growing Up Amidst Trauma: As the documentary depicts, Lauryn is coming of age under a cloud of emotional complexity—but also with resilience, reflection, and cautious hope Netflix.
What the Documentary Reveals
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Humanizing the Horror: Directed by Skye Borgman (Girl in the Picture), the film captures the layered emotional toll on Lauryn, who once adored her mother but now navigates grief, betrayal, and caution NetflixPeople.com.
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Broader Warning on Cyberbullying: This isn’t just an isolated story—it’s a mirror of the digital dangers high schoolers face every day. The film urges deeper conversations between parents and teens about technology, trust, and emotional safety NetflixPeople.com.
Key Takeaways
| Insight | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Trust Can Be Dangerous | Emotional harm can come from the closest people. |
| Tech Enables Abuse | Burner apps erase accountability. |
| Mental Health Must Matter | Messages encouraging self-harm are a crisis. |
| Open Dialogue Is Crucial | Parents and teens must talk—not just hide. |
Final Thoughts
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish is a heart-wrenching case study in how digital anonymity and emotional pain can collide within a family. It’s a chilling reminder that we must remain vigilant in protecting the mental and emotional boundaries of young people—especially when those boundaries are broken from within.
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Call to Action
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, harassment, or cyber abuse, reach out for help—you are not alone, and there is support for you.
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