Unknown Number: The High School Catfish on Netflix: The Story Behind Kendra Licari
Documentary about a mother from Michigan who sent vile threats to her own daughter for 15 months
What is the series about?
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish is a documentary directed by Skye Borgman that sheds light on one of the most bizarre cases of cyberbullying in recent American history. The film follows the events in the small town of Beal City, Michigan, where teenager Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend, Owen McKenny, were subjected to a massive digital attack over 15 months. Through interviews with those involved and reconstructions of the digital trails, the documentary reveals how the anonymous messages were not just harmless teasing, but severe threats and calls for suicide. The case took a shocking turn when the police and FBI finally traced the IP address behind the thousands of messages.
The real case
The real case behind the documentary involves Kendra Licari, who outwardly appeared to be a concerned and supportive mother. Starting in October 2020, Lauryn Licari began receiving hateful messages from an unknown number. The wave of harassment included sexually explicit comments and direct orders for Lauryn to take her own life. Kendra Licari actively participated in helping her daughter report the situation to the police and acted as the comforting parent, while in reality, she was the perpetrator. The investigation revealed that Kendra Licari used software to conceal her location and generate false numbers to avoid detection. The motive behind her actions seemed to be a desire to control her daughter's relationships and create chaos that she could step in to resolve.
Timeline of the case
The crime spanned a long period during which those involved lived in constant fear. It started in the fall of 2020, but after a brief pause in the summer of 2021, the harassment returned with renewed strength in September of the same year. After local authorities in Beal City gave up on finding the source, the FBI was brought into the case. By analyzing the digital footprints, investigators discovered that the messages were sent from IP addresses linked to Kendra's workplace and home. In December 2022, Kendra Licari was arrested and later admitted to the actual circumstances. She was sentenced to a minimum of 19 months in prison in 2023. By the time of the documentary's release, she had been released but had not seen her daughter in a year and a half.
Watch the series
The documentary can be streamed on Netflix and is part of the platform's focus on true crime, exploring the dark sides of the digital age. The film provides a unique insight into the psychological mechanisms behind catfishing and the devastating consequences it has for the victims, especially when the perpetrator is found within the immediate family.