On August 29, 2025, Netflix released Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, a documentary that made bombshell revelations. The 1 hr 34 m video brought to light all angles of the infamous 2022 Kendra Licari case. For those unversed, the incident was about a Michigan woman who catfished a teenage couple, which included her own daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend. The Netflix documentary by Skye Borgman showcased all aspects of the case, including interviews with Kendra Licari and her daughter.
What is the Kendra Licari case about?
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish provided an overview of the case involving Kendra Licari. The 42-year-old woman from Michigan sent harassing messages to her school-going daughter, Lauryn Licari and her daughter’s boyfriend, Owen McKenny, for over a year, starting early 2021. Kendra used sophisticated software to disguise her identity and used multiple numbers and area codes while texting. The texts she sent to Lauryn included fake accounts of Owen cheating on her and having s*xual intimacy with the text-sender.
What was Kendra’s motive for sending the texts to the young couple?
According to the Isabella County Prosecutor, David Barberi, Licari’s motive behind her unlawful actions appeared to be an attempt to make her daughter need her. By being the source of harassment, she ensured she would also be the person her daughter turned to for emotional support. According to an interview with Kendra, recorded for Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, she became a different person when she texted Lauryn and Owen, and she “didn’t know how to stop.”
Where is Kendra Licari now?
Kendra Licari is currently on parole in Pontiac, Michigan, after being released from prison on August 8, 2024. She is scheduled to remain on parole until February 2026. Kendra was arrested in December 2022 after an FBI investigation traced the harassing messages back to her. She confessed to sending thousands of hateful messages to the teenage couple and pleaded guilty to stalking of minors and cyberbullying. She was then sentenced to prison in April 2023 for a period ranging from 19 months to 5 years.
Does Kendra Licari still have contact with her daughter, Lauryn?
Kendra no longer has contact with Lauryn, and she is not legally obligated to maintain a distance from her. As part of her parole conditions, she is not allowed to see her daughter, Lauryn, who now lives with her father. The other conditions of her parole require her to reside in the Pontiac area and remain within the state of Michigan. She must also make sincere efforts to find and maintain employment.
Why did Kendra Licari agree to be interviewed for Unknown Number: The High School Catfish?
As per director, Skye Borgman, Kendra’s participation in the Netflix documentary was not finalised until towards the end of its filming. By the time she was released from prison, much of Unknown Number: The High School Catfish‘s shooting was already completed. However, she eventually came on board, and the Skye felt that she did it to still be a part of her daughter’s life, even if it was through a documentary. As per a Tudum article, Skye felt that Kendra wanted to share her side of the story through the documentary, and he said:
“That was appealing to her, [to] sit down and tell her story from her perspective and that Lauryn [could] see her do that. She wanted to do it, I think, for her daughter.”
What are your thoughts on Kendra Licari catfishing the young couple for a year? Let us know.
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