{"id":1999357,"date":"2025-09-05T13:36:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T13:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1999357"},"modified":"2025-09-05T13:36:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T13:36:24","slug":"the-high-school-catfish-netflix-reveal-shocks-viewers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/the-high-school-catfish-netflix-reveal-shocks-viewers\/","title":{"rendered":"The High School Catfish&#8217; Netflix reveal shocks viewers"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content%2Fuploads%2Fsites%2F2%2F2025%2F09%2F110573449.jpg?quality%3D90%26strip%3Dall\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Netflix\u2019s latest true-crime documentary, \u201cUnknown Number: The High School Catfish,\u201d has viewers floored \u2013 thanks to a jaw-dropping reveal that no one saw coming.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/2025\/09\/02\/unknown-number-the-high-school-catfish-netflix-review\/\">The new documentary<\/a> centers on Beal City, Michigan, teen Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend, Owen McKenny, who suddenly began receiving a flood of vulgar and threatening texts in 2020 and again in the fall of 2021.<\/p>\n<p>The messages, sometimes 50 a day, targeted not only the young couple but also spread chaos through their small high school and wider community.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Lauryn Licari in \u201cUnknown Number: The High School Catfish.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Owen McKenney in \u201cUnknown Number: The High School Catfish.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cHi Lauryn, Owen is breaking up with you,\u201d one text read. \u201cHe no longer likes you and hasn\u2019t liked you for a while. It\u2019s obvious he wants me.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Other messages were even more obscene and sexually explicit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re both DTF [down to f\u2013k],\u201d read another. \u201cHe will be with me while your lonely ugly ass is alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe wants sex, bjs [blowjobs] n making out, he don\u2019t want ur sry ass,\u201d followed another, while one more referred to Lauryn\u2019s teenage boyfriend\u2019s \u201cd\u2013k n fingers n my p\u2014y n mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenney before their split. <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Lauryn and Owen, who had dated for two years before the mysterious texts began, ultimately broke up in the hopes that the messages would stop.<\/p>\n<p>But the messages continued, and the unknown bully started to get even more aggressive despite the high school couple no longer being together. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cKill yourself now bitch,\u201d the person told Lauryn, then 13. \u201cHis life would be better if you were dead.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDEAD #bangbang #suicide,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenney before their split. <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>At first, everyone was a suspect. Classmates and even school officials fell under scrutiny as the harassment escalated.<\/p>\n<p>The case grew so intense that the FBI got involved in April 2022, using cyber-forensics to track down the culprit.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s when the shocking twist dropped: the anonymous texter was <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/2025\/08\/29\/where-kendra-licari-now-netflix-unknown-number-high-school-catfish-mom\/\">Lauryn\u2019s own mother, Kendra Licari.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>FBI liaison Bradley Peter discovered that the former basketball coach and PTA mom had been hiding behind spoofing apps to torment her daughter for 22 months.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Shawn, Kendra and Lauryn Licari. <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Body cam footage included in the documentary captures the moment police showed up at the Licari family\u2019s home to arrest Kendra and seize her devices in December 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Following her arrest on two counts of stalking a minor and two counts of communicating with another to commit a crime, Kendra pleaded guilty to the two stalking counts, per <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/michigan-mom-arrested-allegedly-sending-harassing-texts-daughter-rcna63003\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NBC News<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>She was sentenced to up to five years in prison in 2023 before being released on parole last summer. Shawn Licari, Lauryn\u2019s dad, divorced Kendra in the aftermath of her crime and won full custody of Lauryn, according to\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/where-is-kendra-licari-now-11801642\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">People<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRealistically, a lot of us have probably broken the law at some point or another and not gotten caught,\u201d Kendra says in the documentary, which was filmed following her release. \u201cI\u2019m sure people drove drunk, haven\u2019t been caught.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Kendra and Lauryn Licari. <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Additionally, Kendra argued that her behavior stemmed from being raped at 17 and never processing that trauma.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs my daughter was hitting those teenage years, I got scared,\u201d she explained. \u201cI was afraid of letting her grow up, wanted to protect her and keep her safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was not scared of her hurting herself,\u201d she added as to why she told her daughter to kill herself several different times.<\/p>\n<p>As for Lauryn, she didn\u2019t believe at first that her own mother was the person on the other side of the phone.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Lauryn Licari in \u201cUnknown Number: The High School Catfish.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_36-0\">\u201cShock feeling turned into sad, which turned into mad, which turned into crazy,\u201d she said in the doc. \u201cI don\u2019t even know how to describe the feeling. Why would my mom do this? But like, did she really, actually do this? I can\u2019t believe it, honestly. I was just really confused.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe told me to kill myself. It makes me feel a little bit sad,\u201d Lauryn added. \u201cWhy is my own mom telling me to do that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnknown Caller\u201d has <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/decider.com\/list\/top-10-movies-on-netflix-most-popular-right-now\/\">exploded on social media<\/a> since its release on Aug. 29, and clips of the \u201cwild\u201d and \u201cdisgusting\u201d reveal have so far racked up millions of views across TikTok and Instagram.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe fact that no one suspected [Kendra] in the beginning of this documentary should be an example of how manipulative she is,\u201d one person <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@k.04_h\/video\/7544911056561294614?q=unknown%20caller%20netflix%20explained&amp;t=1756919273787\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote on TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Kendra Licari in \u201cUnknown Number: The High School Catfish.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s the fact that even after she confessed, I didn\u2019t believe it was her,\u201d added another. \u201cBecause how can a mother do that to her own daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was insane! How in the world could you do that to your child?!\u201d commented a third TikToker, while a fourth wrote, \u201cI\u2019m still processing this mess! My mind is blown &amp; I\u2019m angry!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Now, three years after the startling case came to a close, Lauryn is preparing to graduate from high school and attend college to study criminology, per the documentary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe is at the beginning of figuring out that she can be the one in charge, that she can make all the decisions for herself and for her relationship with her mother,\u201d the doc\u2019s director, Skye Borgman, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/tudum\/articles\/unknown-number-the-high-school-catfish-where-are-lauryn-kendra-licari-now\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told Netflix\u2019s Tudum<\/a> last month. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Shawn Licari, Lauryn\u2019s dad, during an interview for \u201cUnknown Number: The High School Catfish.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI think that\u2019s going to be a really interesting place for Lauryn to explore,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<p>Lauryn, now 18, also admitted that she hopes she and her mom can reunite \u201cwhen the time is right\u201d now that Kendra is no longer in prison.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_76-0\">\u201cI hope me and my mom can rebuild our relationship, because I feel like I\u2019m definitely missing a part of me,\u201d Lauryn said. \u201cNow that she\u2019s out, I just want her to get the help that she needs, so then, when we see each other, it doesn\u2019t go back to the old ways and how it was before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_78-0\">\u201cBeing without that relationship I think is really hurting me, and I think rebuilding our relationship will help both of us a lot. I love her more than anything,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Owen McKenney in \u201cUnknown Number: The High School Catfish.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">Courtesy of Netflix<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But as for Lauryn and Owen, the former couple have stopped speaking in the wake of the wild stalking scandal.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_48-0\">\u201cI see him in the hallways and stuff, but we don\u2019t really have interactions at all,\u201d Lauryn shared.<\/p>\n<p id=\"mntl-sc-block_50-0\">\u201cI was mad at Lauryn,\u201d Owen added. \u201cI don\u2019t think I will talk to her in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source celebrity.land \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Netflix\u2019s latest true-crime documentary, \u201cUnknown Number: The High School Catfish,\u201d has viewers floored \u2013 thanks to a jaw-dropping reveal that no one saw coming. The new documentary centers on Beal City, Michigan, teen Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend, Owen McKenny, who suddenly began receiving a flood of vulgar and threatening texts in 2020 and again [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1999358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25174],"tags":[362268,21741,21912,23191,311360],"class_list":["post-1999357","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-gossip","tag-catfish","tag-entertainment","tag-movies","tag-netflix","tag-true-crime"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/The-High-School-Catfish-Netflix-reveal-shocks-viewers.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1999357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1999357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1999357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1999358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1999357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1999357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1999357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}