Somewhere in the world, a young girl is being cyberbullied so severely that the block button can’t combat the hatred. Zoom in on Beal City, Michigan, circa October 2020, and that young girl is named Lauryn Licari. 

For nearly two years, Lauryn and her then-boyfriend, Owen McKenney, received a relentless barrage of anonymous, threatening messages. The cyberbullying was cruel, calculated and in a devastating twist, perpetrated by Lauryn’s mother, Kendra Licari.

Netflix’s latest documentary, entitled “Unknown Number: The High School Catfish,” unpacks the deeply disturbing case of Kendra Licari, a seemingly average mother, who orchestrated a chain of sustained digital harassment toward her own daughter. Using burner apps and spoofed numbers, Kendra Licari evaded suspicion while sowing chaos in her child’s life.

What makes this story truly chilling is not only the maternal betrayal committed by Kendra Licari but also the methodical and sustained effort behind it. According to prosecutor David Barberi, who was featured throughout the documentary, Kendra Licari anonymously sent thousands of messages to her daughter for nearly two years. Many texts were malicious; one read, “ain’t no one wanna see ur flat anorexic a–.”

The documentary hints at deeper psychological issues, and while no official diagnosis was given, her behavior evoked traits associated with munchausen syndrome by proxy through the internet, which was referred to as “cyber munchausen” on the show. According to the National Institute of Health, this condition involves a caregiver fabricating a disorder or illness in a child to draw attention or control.

Throughout the documentary, Kendra Licari presents herself as a concerned mother, going as far as helping school officials and law enforcement with the investigation. The duplicity is staggering. Her deception extended to her husband as well. During this time, she falsely claimed to be employed by Ferris State University, which compounded family stress. Financial instability led the Licari family to face eviction and forced them to move multiple times, further fracturing their household. 

Particularly disturbing is the way Kendra Licari targeted Owen, Lauryn’s boyfriend. The messages went beyond harassment, veering into invasive and sexualized territory, behavior that can only be described as predatory. In one text she wrote, “Hi Lauryn, Owen is breaking up with you it’s obvious he wants me.” It raises many questions about intent and perverse obsession.

Kendra Licari’s motivations remain murky, but the impact of her actions is clear: psychological devastation for her family and a community left in shock.

This documentary acts not only as a true crime story but also as a cultural moment and a cautionary tale about digital manipulation, parental betrayal and the dark potential of internet anonymity. “Unknown Number” shows just how easily our phones can be weaponized by the people closest to us.

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