Netflix's Catfish doco shocked the world. Here's where the Licari family are now.

This article contains spoilers for Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.

Every so often, a documentary comes along that feels too sick and twisted to be true. In 2025, that true crime doco is Netflix's Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.

The film, set in Mt Pleasant in Michigan, delves into the harrowing story of high school student Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend, Owen McKenny, who were relentlessly cyberbullied by an anonymous tormentor for almost two years.

The documentary is the work of acclaimed filmmaker Skye Borgman, who has carved a niche for herself in the true crime genre with a reputation for handling sensitive stories through an empathetic lens, as seen in her other documentary Abducted in Plain Sight.

Watch the trailer. Pos continues after video.

The documentary has gained notoriety on Netflix for its deeply disturbing plot twist (more on that later).

The true story that inspired Netflix's Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.

For almost two years, Lauryn and her boyfriend were subjected to a barrage of cruel, sexually explicit, and manipulative text messages and death threats (up to 50 messages a day) that destroyed every aspect of their lives.

The perpetrator's intimate knowledge of their relationship and even Lauryn's basketball team suggested the culprit was someone in their inner circle, leading to a web of suspicion, accusations and mistrust in this small community.

The truth was more baffling than anyone could have imagined.

After years of the police's (rather lax) investigations, they finally uncovered that the person behind the relentless harassment was none other than Lauryn's own mother, Kendra Licari.

Shockingly, Kendra agreed to take part in Borgman's documentary, sharing her version of events which often didn't line up with the evidence.

It's a fascinating study of complex family dynamics and the devastating impact of psychological abuse on this teen girl, especially at the hands of the one person expected to protect her.

Why did Kendra Licari cyberstalk her own daughter and Owen McKenny?

Kendra Licari did not give a clear reason for her actions. Instead, she offered a few confusing, contradictory and evasive explanations, largely shirking the blame.

"Realistically, a lot of us have probably broken the law at some point or another and not gotten caught," she bizarrely stated. "I'm sure people drove drunk, haven't been caught."

She denied sending the early texts, which began with a message to her daughter that read: "Hi Lauryn, Owen is breaking up with you." However, phone records suggested she sent all the cyberbullying messages.

When questioned about whether the cruel messages regarding her daughter's weight were a reflection of her own insecurities, she conceded it was possible, admitting that she herself was potentially anorexic at the time.

Image: Netflix.

The documentary explores the theory that Kendra had an unhealthy fixation on her daughter's boyfriend, Owen, as he relayed weird moments from their past interactions, such as her cutting his food for him.

But the filmmaker believes that not even Kendra understands her own motivations.

"I don't know that she really knows why she did it," Borgman told Tudum.

She believes that she did it as a way to feel closer to her daughter. "She talks about how scary that was for her to see her only child, her little girl, growing up, and that's what she really relates to and that's what she believes led her to sending these text messages and trying to keep Lauryn close."

In the film, school officials and Isabella County prosecutor, David Barberi, speculated that Kendra's behaviour could be Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a method to gain sympathy and attention due to the harm being inflicted on her daughter.

When asked why she repeatedly told her daughter to kill herself, all Kendra could say was: "I was not scared of her hurting herself."

Where is Kendra Licari now?

Following her confession, Kendra Licari faced the legal consequences of her actions.

At the trial, Kendra said she regretted all her actions and was "ashamed, remorseful and embarrassed."

Image: Netflix.

In 2023, she pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking a minor and was sentenced to serve between 19 months and five years in prison.

According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, Kendra was released on parole on August 9, 2024, and will remain under supervision until February 2026.

The documentary ends with Kendra sharing that she hasn't seen her daughter in over a year.

She still lives in Michigan, but it is unclear whether she is currently employed. The Cut reports Kendra is divorced from her husband, Shawn Licari, after separating in 2022. He received full custody of Lauryn.

Where is Lauryn Licari now?

In the documentary, Lauryn held onto her mother's hand as officials told her who was behind the texts. She was quiet in the scene viewers were shown, but later said she had felt "shock" that "turned into sad, which turned into mad, which turned into crazy."

"I don't even know how to describe the feeling," Lauryn said. "Why would my mom do this? But like, did she really, actually do this? I can't believe it, honestly. I was just really confused."

In the wake of the trauma, Lauryn has focused on rebuilding her life. She has since graduated from high school and is planning to go to college to study criminology. She's also grown closer to her father, who won full custody of her.

Now an adult, Lauryn is navigating what kind of relationship — if any — she wishes to have with her mother in the future.

"The first time we sat down with Lauryn was in the spring of 2023… and she at the time loved her mum. She just wanted her mum back in her life," Borgman told Tudum.

A year later, after Kendra had been released from prison, Lauryn's perspective shifted, as Borgman notes that she "wanted to approach the relationship with more caution in our second interview."

Image: Netflix.

Lauryn admitted she wants her mum to get help before they can resume their relationship. "Now that she's out, I just want her to get the help she needs, so when we see each other, it doesn't go back to the old ways and the way it was before."

Lauryn and her ex-boyfriend and fellow victim, Owen, are no longer in contact.

"I see him in the hallways and stuff, but we don't really have interactions at all," she said.

Earlier this year, The Cut reported that Owen's younger sister was still friends with Lauryn — sitting together at lunch with a "tacit agreement to never mention the cyberbullying".

Despite the documentary portraying Lauryn as sympathetic towards her mum at the end of the film, the director wanted to remind viewers that she was in a complicated position.

"She's done a lot of pretty critical thinking, especially between that time and now," Borgman said. "Everybody else can hate Kendra. I don't think Lauryn can, right? It's your mum. I mean, how do you navigate that? It's really uncharted waters."

Feature image: Netflix.