Aahana Swrup
In October 2020, 13-year-old Lauryn Licari received an unusually hostile text message from an unknown number. In 2021, these messages returned with a newfound malevolence, targeting the teenager, her then-boyfriend, as well as some of the duo’s other high school friends. Soon enough, the cyberbullying became more and more ugly and abusive, pushing the kids’ parents to seek help from law enforcement. The investigation remained lengthy and extensive, casting a gloomy shadow over the small town community of Beal City, Michigan. Eventually, an unexpected conclusion arrived when the authorities tracked the messages back to the surprising perpetrator: Kendra Licari, the mother of Lauryn Licari. The Netflix documentary, ‘Unknown Number: The High School Catfish,’ delves into the real-life impact of this case on the victims, as well as the offender, during the time of the harassment and beyond.
Kendra Licari Cyberbullied and Catfished Teenagers, Including Her Daughter, For Two Years
The first messages targeting Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny’s relationship came in October 2020, in the build-up to a Halloween party. Yet, it wasn’t until September 2021 that these messages became a severe presence in the teenagers’ lives, turning into a daily onslaught of abuse and harassment. Initially, the then-couple’s parents, Jill and Dave McKenny, and Kendra and Shawn Licari, reached out to the authorities at Beal City High School in hopes of finding out the perpetrator, whom they assumed to be another student. In time, local law enforcement became involved, and Sheriff Mike Main took on the case. During this process, some of Lauryn’s classmates, particularly Khloe Wilson and Adrianna, faced the worst of their peers’ and the authorities’ suspicions. Months later, with no definitive suspect in sight, FBI liaison Bradley Peter stepped in.
Although the perpetrator was using an app that disguised their phone number, Peter was able to track the messages to the phone number and IP address of Kendra Licari, Lauryn’s mother. In December 2022, the police knocked on the Licari household, where the mother inevitably confessed to the crime. The authorities arrested the woman and seized her devices. Her charges were two counts of stalking a minor, two counts of communicating with another to commit a crime, and one count of obstruction of justice. In the court proceedings that followed in March 2023, Kendra accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to two charges of stalking a minor. The other charges were dropped as part of the deal. Ultimately, the conclusion of the case shook up the entire community of Beal City, no doubt scarring the lives of her victims, and perhaps most of all her daughter, Lauryn.
Kendra Licari Received a Sentence of 19 Months to 5 Years in Prison
During her court proceedings, Kendra Licari reportedly remained remorseful of her actions, claiming that she would take back her actions if she could. Her defence shared a psychiatric examination that showcased the defendant’s history of mental illness. Furthermore, Kendra revealed that she had been taking counselling and parenting classes in an attempt to get better. Yet, the impact of her actions on the lives of her daughter, Lauryn, Owen McKenny, Khloe Wilson, and others remained unchanged. Ultimately, on April 26, 2023, her sentencing was announced.
Kendra received a maximum of five years in prison and a minimum sentence of 19 months, or a year and seven months. “I can’t imagine any parent saying such horrible things to her own daughter,” Judge Duthie, who presided over the case, reportedly told the court. “It’s the kind of case that makes me glad that at the end of my term, I’m retiring.” Given the grating toll her mother’s actions took on her life, Lauryn Licari’s relationship with the woman remained complicated and nuanced. On one hand, the daughter was desperate to remain connected with her mother, while on the other, she couldn’t understand why Kendra would send her such hateful anonymous messages. Even so, Lauryn stayed in touch with her during her mother’s time in prison.
Kendra Licari and Shawn Licari are No Longer Together
While the entire scandal had a traumatic influence on Lauryn Licari and her mother’s relationship, it also dealt heavy damage to her parents’ relationship. Reportedly, Kendra Shawn’s marriage was already on the rocks even before the authorities unmasked the former as the anonymous stalker. Around late 2021 to early 2022, the Licari family was undergoing a financially burdensome time. Bills were stacking up to the point where the family lost their storage unit and had to move houses. According to Shawn, Kendra was always responsible for the financial side of the household.
Eventually, the domestic problems lead the married couple to separate. Thus, Kendra and Shawn began living in different houses, sharing custody over their daughter. Consequently, by the time the authorities arrested the former, her marriage with her then-husband had already crumbled. Still, this didn’t dampen the shock of the revelation any less for Shawn. Furthermore, he discovered that Kendra had been lying to him for months about details of her employment. In the aftermath of the entire debacle, Shawn retained full custody of Lauryn. Reports suggest that he has little to no contact with his ex-wife.
Kendra Licari is Currently Out on Parole and Lives in Detroit
On August 9, 2024, Kenra Licari was reportedly released from her prison sentence on parole. As per reports, she currently resides in the city of Pontiac in Detroit, where she will remain under supervision until February 8, 2026. Although Lauryn was previously keen on maintaining a relationship with her mother, the past few years seem to have added a newfound perspective. Now, the contact between the two remains limited, and there is still no in-person meeting. Now 18, the young woman’s emotional transformation can be best seen in Skye Borgman’s documentary ‘Unknown Number: The High School Catfish,’ where she expressed the complicated feelings surrounding her relationship with her mother. Today, Kendra continues to live a life out of the limelight, with her participation in Borgman’s documentary as her last public appearance.
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