Aahana Swrup
The Netflix documentary ‘Unknown Number: The High School Catfish’ charts the horrifying story that unraveled in 2020-2022 in Beal City, Michigan. It all started when Lauryn Licari started receiving a horde of malicious text messages from an unknown number. Initially, the messages targeted the teenager’s relationship with her middle school sweetheart, Owen McKenny. Furthermore, the messages spread out to Owen as well, creating tense friction in the kids’ lives. Soon enough, the anonymous texter became increasingly invasive, growing aggressive and vulgar in their communications. Thus, the Beal City public school eventually became involved in investigating the case, suspecting another student to be behind the threatening correspondence. Yet, when the stalker’s identity remained evasive, the local authorities inevitably got involved. In the end, the truth that awaited on the other side of the investigation was not one anyone could have easily predicted. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Lauryn Licari’s Mother, Kendra, Was Discovered to be Behind the Text Messages
Around April of 2022, Sheriff Mike Main finally reached out to the FBI for reinforcements in the investigation. The cyberbullying case involved hundreds of text messages sent through numerous unknown numbers. It was evident that the perpetrator was likely using a call masking app of some sort to conceal their identity. Furthermore, although Lauryn seemed to be the primary target, her then-boyfriend, Owen McKenny, and some of his friends had also become victims of these chilling texts. Fortunately, two months into his investigation, FBI liaison Bradley Peter was able to unearth some hard truths. As it turned out, one of the IP addresses linked to the anonymous texter pointed straight toward Kendra Licari, Lauryn’s mother. Once the discovery was made, the authorities arrived at the woman’s place of residence.
As Kendra realized the jig was up, she proceeded to confess to the crime, much to the shock and horror of her daughter, Lauryn, and former partner, Shawn Licari. The idea that her own mother might be on the other side of the vitriolic messages that have been arriving in her inbox for more than two years was entirely unfathomable to Lauryn. The messages had not only preyed on the teenager’s insecurities, but had also repeatedly encouraged her to take her own life. On the other hand, some of the more vulgar texts painted a picture of the sender’s apparent infatuation with Owen. At one point, it also seemed that the stalker, now revealed to be the mother, was attempting to frame another teenager, Khloe Wilson. All of these elements added disturbing layers to Kendra’s actions and the possible motivation behind them.
Kendra Licari Claims Her Own Traumatic Past Fuelled Her Actions
Kendra Licari was arrested for her crimes in December 2022 and received her prison sentence by April 2023. She went on to remain imprisoned until August 2024, when she was finally released on parole. In the aftermath, she participated in Skye Borgman’s documentary ‘Unknown Number: The High School Catfish,’ to share her side of the story. Yet, there’s no definitive explanation for the entire debacle. As Kendra tells it, her involvement in the anonymous texts only began in 2021, when the texts resurfaced and began adversely affecting her daughter and Owen McKenny’s lives. She insists that she sent the first few messages to find some information or push the teenagers to investigate the “real” identity of the anonymous texter. However, Kendra’s reliance on the texts soon spiralled out of control in light of mounting financial and domestic problems in her personal life.
Kendra claims she viewed the texts as an out-of-body experience that allowed her to step out of her life by putting on an incognito mask. The fact that she was already close to Lauryn and even to Owen to some extent allowed her to make her insults and threats personal. Yet, the mother believes on a deeper level that the texts were a reflection of her own insecurities. Some of the jabs she took at her daughter for her appearance, particularly regarding her thin frame, could have been manifestations of her own issues with body image. Alternatively, she traces that dark chapter of her life to her own adolescent trauma that might have resurfaced once Lauryn entered her teenage years. In the documentary, Kendra shares the fact that she was a victim of rape at the age of 17. For the same reason, she believes her daughter’s coming-of-age triggered a troubling response in her, wherein she was reliving her own trauma while desperately trying to find a way to ensure her daughter doesn’t go through the same thing.
The McKennys Believe Kendra Licari Was Infatuated With Owen
While Kendra Licari holds her own opinions on the damage she inflicted on her daughter’s life across 2020 and 2022, others have their own theories on the matter. The mother hadn’t only singled Lauryn out as a victim of her hateful messages. Instead, Owen McKenny, the girl’s then-boyfriend, was also a notable target of her crimes. Much like Lauryn, the teenage boy also received a barrage of obsessive, hateful messages. In fact, the sender seemed particularly interested in breaking up the couple, suggesting Lauryn wasn’t good enough for Owen and that he would much rather prefer the sender’s company. The crass nature of some of the texts, speculating on and ridiculing the teenager’s relationship, seemed to strengthen the idea that the sender was attracted to the boy. In fact, this clue falsely painted Khloe Wilson, one of Owen’s close friends, as a possible suspect in the case.
In the documentary, the teenager and his family looked back on his relationship with Kendra during his relationship with Lauryn. Owen recalls that the older woman always gave him special attention, sharing an anecdote about her tendency to cut his steak for him. Additionally, he claims that Kendra continued coming to his basketball matches even after he and Lauryn inevitably broke up under the mounting pressure of the anonymous texts. Yet, the proverbial nail in the coffin comes from the story Owen shares about how these texts led to the conclusion of his next relationship with a girl in Pinconning. Reportedly, the latter’s mother began receiving ominous, hostile messages, similar to the ones Lauryn was subjected to. Thus, if Kendra was truly behind even those messages, it seems probable that part of her aggressive behavior could have stemmed from a sense of competition with her daughter, with Owen at its center.
Some Believe Kendra Licari’s Actions Were Due to Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy
Another explanation people around Kendra Licari have for the text messages she sent Lauryn speculates the possibility of an actual medical condition. Many, including school superintendent Bill Chillman and prosecutor Dave Barberi, have wondered if the mother’s actions could have links to a possible Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy diagnosis. Munchausen, also known as Factitious disorder, is a mental illness in which a caretaker fabricates an illness or an ailment for someone in their care. The nature of the condition makes it a type of child abuse and is believed to often stem from one’s own traumatic experience with an abusive childhood. Since MSP generally tends to include fake medical emergencies of some kind, Kendra’s possible connection to the illness would remain confined to an undiagnosed cyber version of it.
By pushing Lauryn into a distressing and traumatic experience through the excuse of an anonymous stalker, the mother would have been able to force the teenager into seeking comfort from her. Thus, creating more significant bonds between them would help Kendra stay closer to her daughter. This possible explanation would support the latter’s claims about hurting Lauryn in a twisted attempt to protect her and keep her safe. Yet, no official diagnosis has yet been made. Skye Borgman herself shared her thoughts on the matter and told Netflix, “To give it any sort of medical foundation is a little bit problematic.” She added, “But I think that there are elements about Munchausen by proxy — about harming someone to keep them close — that definitely existed.” Ultimately, the motivation behind Kendra’s unimaginable actions remains convoluted, muddled in a history of trauma, a spiral into obsession, and layers of unresolved issues.
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