The Shocking True Story Behind Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

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As a dedicated advocate for truth and transparency, I’m excited to share that starting this Friday, you can watch “The Unknown Number: The High School Catfish” on Netflix. This gripping documentary delves into the heart-wrenching real-life tale of a mother who, sadly, pretended to be someone else online and sent harmful messages to her own daughter. Among these messages were several urging her daughter to consider taking her own life.

In the tranquil town of Beal City, Michigan, officials claim that from autumn 2021 onwards, Kendra Licari allegedly sent persistent threatening text messages over a period of more than a year, using an unidentified number. These messages were aimed at her daughter Lauryn and her boyfriend Owen, instructing them to end their relationship. Remarkably, she disguised herself as another classmate who was secretly interested in him.

In 2023, a judge ordered that Kendra serve at least 19 months behind bars. Directed by Skye Borgman, the documentary Unknown Number showcases Kendra’s aggressive text messages, footage from the moment of her arrest captured on police body cameras, interviews with Kendra’s daughter Lauryn, her ex-boyfriend Owen and his parents, as well as their families, school officials, local law enforcement, and an FBI representative who handled the case.

Here are the most shocking moments in Unknown Number.

The text messages

The text messages appeared to originate from a friend of Lauryn’s, making statements such as “Hi Lauryn, Owen is ending things with you,” despite this not being true. This individual persistently claimed that Owen had feelings for her, and even wrote things like, “we’re both down for anything. For months, she received messages along the lines of ‘He will be with me while your lonely, unattractive self is left alone.” Additionally, the sender often referred to Lauryn as “Lo,” a nickname typically used by close friends and family members, hinting at someone within her intimate circle.

Lauryn and Owen tried calling an unidentified number repeatedly, but it seemed nobody was answering on the other side. In fact, Owen got anywhere between 30 to 50 mysterious messages daily.

Numerous messages contained highly explicit and crude content, repeatedly informing Lauryn that Owen plans to end their relationship due to her failing to meet his sexual needs. One text to Lauryn read, “he desires sex, oral activities and kissing, but not your sorry behind,” while another made reference to “his penis and fingers in my vagina and mouth.

Following a two-year relationship, Lauryn and Owen parted ways predominantly due to concerns over concerning text exchanges. They believed that the messages might cease if they ended their romance. However, even after their split, Lauryn was inundated with abusive messages such as “You should kill yourself now”, “His life would be better off if you were dead”, and “DEAD #bangbang #suicide”.

How the mom got caught

In January 2022, local authorities became part of the situation, and they requested assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) around April the same year.

In the documentary, it’s stated that Bradley Peter, who was assisting the FBI on the case, clarified that he managed to determine certain text messages had been sent via a mobile application designed to conceal phone numbers.

As I delved into my investigation, I presented a search warrant to an app and discovered a few cryptic digits that seemed out of place. Upon submitting another warrant to Verizon, I found myself inexplicably drawn to one number – the enigmatic Kendra Licari’s phone number.

The local sheriff found it perplexing as Kendra frequently contacted them to inquire about the progress of their probe concerning the origin of the text messages.

Spectators will watch body camera recordings capturing the instance when authorities arrived at Kendra’s residence to apprehend her and confiscate her electronic devices in December 2022. At this point, Kendra is extremely compliant with the police, while Lauryn stands nearby, mostly speechless and stunned, as she remains close to her mother.

Why the mom catfished her daughter

The documentary features Kendra Licari presenting the idea that many of us, including herself, are prone to errors, such as possibly violating the law without getting caught. She even suggests that some individuals may have driven under the influence and avoided detection.

As a movie enthusiast, I found myself with ample time to respond to these messages because I don’t have a 9-to-5 job. However, the documentary unveiled an intriguing twist: Although Kendra had told her husband Shawn that she voluntarily quit her position, the truth was more complicated. In reality, she was let go and didn’t immediately secure another job afterwards.

In the documentary, it’s suggested that Owen and his mother suspect Kendra might have had secret feelings for him. This suspicion arises due to several observations: she would prepare his steak into smaller pieces when he was dating Lauryn, often checked on him individually to ask about his well-being, and attended all of his sports events, even after the breakup with Lauryn. However, Kendra does not have a chance to address these allegations in the documentary itself.

However, she asserts that her actions are rooted in unprocessed trauma from past events, specifically a rape incident that occurred when she was seventeen years old, which she subsequently chooses to disclose.

During her teenage years, my daughter’s growth made me anxious,” she shared in the documentary. “I had a fear of watching her mature, longing to shield her and ensure her safety.

When TIME inquired about Kendra’s reply, Borgman explained that he didn’t believe Kendra feared Owen would assault Lauren. Instead, Kendra’s concern was more about Lauren growing up and venturing into the dangerous world. Her actions, such as sending those messages, were intended to keep Lauren dependent on her for help. In essence, she was pushing Lauren towards herself by these text exchanges.

In the documentary, when Borgman inquires about Kendra’s actions, she responds, “I didn’t fear she would harm herself.” However, Borgman remains perplexed about why Licari sent texts urging his daughter to take her own life.

Borgman states that he couldn’t provide an answer since the documentary shows that he asked her a question, but she didn’t offer a satisfactory response. He further speculates that the ultimatum to Lauryn to take her own life might have been the most extreme measure taken to bring Lauryn closer. However, it appears extremely unusual to him. Although Borgman suggests that she didn’t believe Lauryn would actually carry out the act, he admits to being unsure of any parent who could ever consider such an action.

As a dedicated film enthusiast, I’d rephrase it like this: In the documentary, Bill Chillman, the ex-superintendent of Beal City, shares his thoughts about Kendra. He suggests that, much like Munchausen Syndrome but in the digital realm, she manipulated her daughter’s online presence to create a need for herself, even going as far as causing harm digitally rather than physically inducing illness, which is more common with typical cases of Munchausen Syndrome.

In the interview, Kendra admits that her text messages suggesting her daughter was anorexic might have stemmed from her own struggles with body image. She explains, “I was quite underweight and wasn’t eating much, so it’s plausible to consider me as someone who fits the description of being anorexic.

Despite completing the documentary, Borgman remains uncertain as to why Kendra began sending hostile text messages to her daughter. He expresses doubt that we’ll ever fully grasp the reason behind this, suggesting instead that it requires significant effort and deep introspection from Kendra herself to uncover the truth.

Kendra and Lauryn’s relationship now

18-year-old Lauryn has completed high school and gained independence to form relationships with her parents as she wishes. Notably closer to her dad, Shawn, than ever, the documentary reveals that they often enjoy leisurely nature strolls together.

2023 found me deep in the midst of a challenging chapter when Borgman sat down for an interview. My mom had just been incarcerated, leaving me with a heavy heart full of longing and a void I couldn’t fill. Despite this, Kendra and I managed to keep our bond alive during her prison term.

However, in the following year, when Borgman returned for another round of interviews, the landscape of my feelings had shifted. I found myself rethinking my desire for close proximity with my mother. In Bergman’s own words, “She didn’t harbor any resentment towards her mother at all, but she started to be a bit more cautious in their interactions and a bit more selective about how much Kendra was privy to of her life.

Towards the documentary’s conclusion, Kendra has been released from prison and hasn’t met Lauryn for a year and a half. However, Lauryn isn’t quite ready to reconnect yet. As images of hurtful messages that Kendra had sent Lauryn appear on screen, Lauryn expresses her hope that, now that Kendra is free, she can seek the help she needs so that their future meetings won’t revert back to past patterns. In the final moments of the documentary, Lauryn poignantly declares, “I love her more than anything.

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2025-08-29 16:18