Mother Says She Catfished Her Teen Daughter to Stop ‘Unknown Number’ Harassment, Documentary Reveals

Kendra Licari, a Michigan mother who admitted she anonymously harassed her 13‑year‑old daughter and the girl’s boyfriend for more than a year, has given an account of her actions in Netflix’s new documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.

Licari, 44, was exposed as the sender behind an unknown number that inundated Lauryn Licari and her then‑boyfriend, Owen McKenny, with abusive and violent text messages. Prosecutors and reporting on the case say the campaign produced what has been described as “hundreds of thousands” of messages over months. Licari pleaded guilty to two counts of assaulting a minor and was sentenced to 19 months to five years in prison.

In the documentary, Licari said she did not send the very first messages that prompted Lauryn’s alarm — an initial anonymous claim that Owen intended to break up with her — but acknowledged that she later continued and escalated the harassment. “The messages stopped for a little bit and then they picked back up,” she said on camera. “In my mind, I'm like, 'How long do we let this go on? What do I do as a parent?'”

Licari also told filmmakers that, in hindsight, the “best way” to stop the episode would have been to take her daughter’s phone away. "Honestly, the best way would have been to stop it by shutting her cell phone down," she said.

Law enforcement officials and the family pursued an investigation after Lauryn and McKenny received repeated harassing and threatening communications. The campaign of messages drew attention for its frequency and severity; reporting on the case described the volume as extraordinary. Licari ultimately acknowledged her role in the abuse and accepted criminal responsibility through a guilty plea on counts relating to assault of a minor.

The case has drawn attention to how mobile technology and anonymous communication can be used to target young people. Messaging services, disposable numbers and anonymity tools can obscure the identity of senders, complicating investigations and prolonging episodes of harassment. Digital harassment of minors has prompted prosecutors to use a range of criminal statutes, including charges tied to threats, stalking and assault, depending on the jurisdiction and the nature of the conduct.

The documentary’s release adds a personal, on‑the‑record explanation of Licari’s motives that was not part of the public court record when she was prosecuted. Her statements in the film focus on parental anxiety and efforts to stop perceived harm to her daughter, though legal filings and court proceedings established that the anonymous messages themselves caused distress to the teenagers and led to criminal charges.

Legal outcomes in digital harassment cases vary by state and by the specific conduct involved. In this instance, Licari’s sentence — a term of 19 months to five years — followed her guilty plea. The punishment and the publicity around the case underscore how courts are addressing offline consequences of online conduct, particularly when victims are minors.

Advocates for child safety and digital literacy point to this case as an example of how family dynamics and technology can intersect harmfully, and they emphasize prevention strategies such as parental controls, timely reporting to platforms and law enforcement, and education about online anonymity. The case also illustrates the challenges investigators face when dealing with high volumes of messages and attempts to conceal the origin of communications.

Netflix’s documentary revisits the facts of the case and includes interviews with Licari and others involved in the episode. The film frames the events around questions of motive, responsibility and the social dynamics that can fuel online abuse among adolescents and adults alike. The Licari case remains a notable instance in discussions about how easily available communication technologies can be misused and the legal and social responses available when they are.