Imagine waking up one day only to discover that the relentless, cruel messages flooding your phone are not from some anonymous bully—but from your own mother. That’s the heart-stopping twist at the center of the new Netflix documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, and the shocking real-life story behind it has captivated viewers across the country.

The Harassment Begins

In the tight-knit community of Beal City, Michigan, 13-year-old Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend, Owen McKenny, were known as inseparable—the “Golden Couple.” But in October 2020, strange texts began arriving. Seemingly innocent at first, they soon deteriorated into a disturbing barrage.

The messages accused Owen of cheating, insulted Lauryn’s appearance, and grew viciously explicit over time. At their worst, she received up to 50 messages a day, including cruel taunts like “u are the ugliest person I’ve ever seen” and directions to “kill yourself”.

How It Unfolded—and Was Uncovered

The origins of these messages confounded authorities and classmates alike. The culprit remained hidden behind ever-changing phone numbers generated by anonymous texting apps—until the FBI tracked down an IP address match leading directly back to Kendra Licari, Lauryn’s mother.

In December 2022, Kendra was arrested amid footage captured on police body cameras showing Lauryn’s stunned face as the truth came crashing down.

Where Is Lauryn Licari Now? Inside Her Life 3 Years After Cyberstalking Case

The Confession and the Sentence

Kendra pleaded guilty in March 2023 to two counts of stalking a minor. By April, she was sentenced to 19 months to 5 years in prison. In her statement, she attributed her actions to resurfacing trauma—she had been sexually assaulted at age 17 and struggled to cope as her daughter entered adolescence.

After serving the minimum portion of her sentence, Kendra was granted parole on August 8, 2024, and remains under supervision until February 2026. She is currently barred from seeing Lauryn, a separation that has now lasted over a year and a half.

A Daughter’s Strength

Meanwhile, Lauryn has begun forging her own path forward. Now attending college, she’s studying criminology—perhaps motivated by the very circumstances that once threatened to define her life. Though still processing the betrayal and trauma, she expresses a cautious hope: “I want to see my mom when the time is right… I want her to get the help that she needs”.

Where Is Kendra Licari Now? Catfish From 'Unknown Number' Jailed For Cyberbullying Teenage Couple

The Documentary That Sparked a National Conversation

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish lays bare every detail—from incriminating texts revealed on screen to emotional interviews with Lauryn, her father Shawn (who now has full legal and physical custody), and classmates who were wrongly suspected in the harassment.

The film sheds light not just on this impossible betrayal, but on the broader ubiquity of cyberbullying, illustrating how quickly a community—and a teen’s reputation—can unravel under the weight of anonymous cruelty.

Where Is 'Unknown Number' Subject Kendra Licari Now?

What This Story Teaches Us

This story, by turns painful and disturbing, also imparts critical lessons:

Trust can be broken by the unlikeliest of people—and rebuilt, albeit slowly.
Cyberbullying isn’t always a faceless online attack; sometimes, it hides closer to home.
Mental health struggles and past trauma can manifest in dangerous, unexpected ways.
Survivors like Lauryn aren’t defined by what happened to them—but by how they choose to move forward.