Warning: The following post contains discussions of cyberbullying and suicide.
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish has quickly become one of Netflix’s most-talked-about documentaries. In October 2020, Michigan teenagers Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny found themselves the targets of a vicious cyberbully whose goal was to break up the young couple.
For nearly two years, Lauryn and Owen received countless text messages from this unknown number. The texter even told Lauryn to kill herself and sent many messages that were of a sexual nature to the minors. The FBI eventually discovered that Kendra Licari, Lauryn’s mother, was behind the text messages.
After watching the shocking documentary, you’re probably wondering what happened to Kendra Licari. She shares her side of the story in Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, but it’s been some time since the documentary was filmed. Scroll down to get the latest updates about Kendra, her relationship with her daughter, and more.
Where is Kendra Licari today?
Kendra is now out of prison after serving time for what she did to Lauryn and Owen (more on that below). She was released on August 8, 2024. In January 2025, The Cut published a feature about the case. At the time, Kendra was living with family near Detroit, Michigan. It’s unclear if she is employed.
Netflix
Her participation in the Netflix documentary was a last-minute decision on her end. “It was a long process with Kendra,” director Skye Borgman told Tudum. Kendra ultimately agreed to speak about questions surrounding the case. “That was appealing to her, [to] sit down and tell her story from her perspective and that Lauryn [could] see her do that. She wanted to do it, I think, for her daughter,” the director noted.
Why did Kendra Licari cyberbully her own daughter?
In the documentary, Kendra maintained that she did not send the original pre-Halloween 2020 texts to Lauryn and Owen. (Law enforcement believes she is behind all of the messages.)
Netflix
“I really wanted to get to the bottom of who it was, right? And that’s when I started sending the text messages to Lauryn and Owen,” Kendra said. She claimed that her hope was that these new texts would ultimately lead to the person who originated the texts. Once she started texting Lauryn and Owen, she couldn’t stop. “It was a spiral, kind of a snowball effect,” she said. “I don’t think I knew how to stop. I was somebody different place in those moments. I was in an awful place mentally.”
Many of the text messages Kendra sent mocked Lauryn’s appearance, but Kendra said “the messages weren’t really targeted at her insecurities.” Kendra was asked if she had been afraid that her daughter would hurt herself since she sent messages telling Lauryn tell kill herself. Kendra responded, “So, I can say I was not scared of her hurting herself. I know Lauryn and I know the conversations that her and I had.”
Kendra admitted that she’s “very disappointed” over what she had done. She blamed some of her decisions on “previous trauma” that had started to resurface when Lauryn became a teenager.
“When I was 17, I was raped, and as my daughter was hitting those teenage years, I got scared, very scared,” Kendra said. “I didn’t want her to go through the process that I did. I think that really led to me [to] not know how to handle things.” She added, “I was reliving what I had been through, but also at the same time, wanting to protect her. I wanted to try to control the outcome of her journey.”
How long was Kendra Licari in jail?
Kendra was arrested and pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking a minor. She was sentenced to 19 months in prison.
What is Kendra & Lauryn Licari’s relationship like today?
When Kendra was in prison, she was in communication with Lauryn. During that time period, Lauryn was open to having a relationship with her mother.
Netflix
The end of the documentary features a newer interview with Lauryn, which was completed after Kendra was released from prison, and she was hesitant about trusting her mother moving forward. “I’m not allowed to see my mom now that she’s out of prison,” Lauryn said. “I want to see my mom when the time is right. I think it would just be a relief to see her but, like, also hard.”
She continued, “I think I want to trust her now, but I don’t think I can. Now that she’s out, I just want her to get the help that she needs so then when we see each other it doesn’t go back to the old ways and how it was before.” Despite everything that’s happened, Kendra believes that she and Lauryn “can have a healthy relationship” in the future.
At the time Kendra completed her interview, she hadn’t seen Lauryn in about a year and a half. Lauryn’s dad, Shawn, had full custody of their daughter until she turned 18.
If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264). If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or dial 988. If you or a loved one are in immediate danger, call 911.
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, Streaming Now, Netflix
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