Who was behind the suspicious texts to Lauryn Licari? Netflix’s Unknown Number: The High School Catfish explores the case

Netflix’s latest true-crime release, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, directed by Skye Borgman, digs into a chilling story that blurs the line between protection and harm. Premiering on August 29, 2025, the documentary follows 13-year-old Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend, Owen, who suddenly begin receiving threatening messages from an anonymous number.

What seemed like a textbook case of cyberbullying soon unravels into something far more disturbing. The culprit isn’t an outsider but Lauryn’s own mother, Katrina Licari, hiding behind a façade of anonymity. The revelation exposes not only manipulation and secrecy but also the devastating wounds caused when betrayal comes from within a family.

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Kendra Licari sends her daughter and boyfriend text messages

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (Image via Netflix)

At first, the messages appeared to come from classmates. The sender knew personal details about Lauryn, including her nickname “Lo,” which only close friends and family used.

The texts accused Owen of cheating and encouraged Lauryn to harm herself. Investigators initially suspected fellow students, even questioning friends who had access to multiple online accounts. But as the harassment escalated, the FBI became involved. Their cyber unit traced the disguised phone numbers back to Lauryn’s own mother, Kendra Licari.

Kendra confessed in December 2022, admitting she had created fake accounts and used apps to send hundreds of texts to her daughter and Owen. The discovery stunned both the family and the community, turning the case from a mystery into a shocking betrayal.

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What is Unknown Number: The High School Catfish all about?

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (Image via Netflix)

The documentary follows Lauryn and Owen, who in 2020 received the first anonymous text message. The messages paused, then resumed in 2021, intensifying into daily harassment. Some days, they received 30 to 50 texts. Many were sexually explicit or violent, aimed at destroying Lauryn’s confidence and her relationship with Owen.

Authorities in Beal City first suspected students at the high school. Teachers, parents, and classmates were drawn into the investigation, and rumors spread quickly. The stress from the harassment ultimately led to Lauryn and Owen's breakup, even though the texts persisted.

The film shows how local police and the FBI worked together to uncover the source. Through interviews, body camera footage, and court documents, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish reconstructs the steps leading to the shocking reveal.

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Who is Kendra Licari?

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (Image via Netflix)

Kendra Licari, mother of Lauryn Licari, admitted to sending the anonymous texts. She used apps to hide her number and multiple accounts to avoid being caught, all while pretending to be a worried parent checking on the case with the police. In April 2023, she pleaded guilty to stalking a minor and was sentenced to 19 months to five years in prison. She was released on parole in August 2024.

The documentary includes her interviews, in which she struggles to explain her actions. Some investigators suggest her motives resembled a form of digital Munchausen syndrome, where she created harm to make her daughter dependent on her. Others describe her behavior as an attempt to control her daughter’s growing independence.

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Sensitive themes in the documentary

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish contains sensitive material. The texts include harassment, sexual content, and repeated encouragement of suicide. Viewers see how cyberbullying can infiltrate family life and lead to long-term emotional consequences.

The film also addresses themes of child abuse, parental betrayal, and trauma. Kendra herself references her own teenage experiences, including assault, as context for her behavior, though the documentary shows that her explanations remain incomplete.

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The impact on Lauryn and Owen

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (Image via Netflix)

At the heart of Unknown Number: The High School Catfish is Lauryn’s experience. She endured years of anonymous harassment and then had to face the reality that her mother was responsible. The documentary follows her transition into adulthood, showing how she balances her emotional recovery with her desire for independence.

Owen also faced significant fallout. He became a target of explicit messages, and his relationship with Lauryn collapsed under the strain. His family participated in the film, describing the toll the case took on their lives.

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How investigators solved the case

The breakthrough came when the FBI analyzed the app used to disguise the phone numbers. Search warrants linked many of the numbers to Kendra Licari's Verizon account. Body camera footage included in the documentary shows police confronting Kendra in her home, where she eventually admitted to sending the messages.

This moment is one of the most striking in Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, as it captures the stunned reaction of Lauryn and her father, Shawn, who immediately realized the depth of the betrayal.

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Where are they now?

When filming concluded, Lauryn was 18 years old and focused on finishing high school and beginning her adult life. Her relationship with her father strengthened, and the documentary shows them spending time together outdoors.

Kendra was released from prison in August 2024. According to the film, she still wanted to reconnect with her daughter, though Lauryn remained hesitant. Their future relationship remains uncertain.

Owen and Lauryn did not resume their relationship. Both continue to move forward separately, with the case remaining a difficult part of their past.

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The effect of the case on the residents of Beal City

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (Image via Netflix)

The case of Unknown Number: The High School Catfish shook up the tiny community of Beal City. For over a year, suspicion fell on classmates and peers. Friendships fell apart, and students were scared that anyone could be the person who was texting them.

The documentary's interviews with students and teachers show how harmful misplaced suspicion can be in a close-knit community. Some students said they lost friends or were wrongly accused. Long after their case concluded, the effects continued to persist.

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Unknown Number: The High School Catfish is now streaming on Netflix.