Warning: this article contains spoilers for Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

Netflix has gained a reputation for delivering some truly unsettling documentaries, and the latest addition to their lineup last week certainly upheld that tradition.

For those unfamiliar, the popular streaming service released a new documentary film on Friday (29 August) focusing on a real-life cyberbullying incident that sent shockwaves through the small community of Beal City, Michigan.

In 2020, 13-year-old Lauryn Licari and her then-boyfriend, Owen McKenny, started receiving mysterious messages from an unknown sender.

The creepy messages paused for a while, but resumed in September 2021, bombarding the teens with daily threats and insults for the next 15 months.

Lauryn and her then-boyfriend, Owen, were just 13 when the online abuse began (Netflix)

Eventually, officials sought the assistance of law enforcement when the texts included details that only someone close to Lauryn would know. The shocking discovery was that the culprit was her own 'obsessed' mother, Kendra Licari.

But what became of Kendra, who was even featured in the documentary, and what drove her to such actions over those years?

Lauryn's mother, Kendra Licari, was found to be the perpetrator (Isabella County Sheriff’s Office)

What happened to Kendra Licari?

In December 2022, Kendra was arrested and faced multiple charges, including stalking and using a computer to commit a crime.

She admitted to two counts of stalking a minor and received a sentence of 19 months to five years in prison. She was released on 8 August, 2024.

Why did Kendra do it?

Although the Netflix documentary didn't pinpoint the exact reason why Kendra tormented her daughter, Isabella County prosecutor David Barberi suggested her actions might be a form of cyber Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

What is Munchausen syndrome by proxy?

Munchausen syndrome by proxy, also known as Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA), is a mental illness and a type of child abuse, where a caregiver, often a mother, exaggerates or induces symptoms of illness in a child.

However, in this instance, it involved cyberbullying rather than health issues, and Kendra hasn't been formally diagnosed as far as we know.

"To give it any sort of medical foundation is a little bit problematic. … But I think that there are elements about Munchausen by proxy - about harming someone to keep them close - that definitely existed," director Skye Borgman said.

What happened to Lauryn's dad?

After Kendra's appalling actions were revealed, Lauryn's father, Shawn, divorced her and reportedly gained full custody of Lauryn.

"I just can't believe she would do something like that to her daughter that supposedly she loved dearly," he said in the documentary. "Just makes me sick. She stabbed me in the heart - shot me in the heart - and threw it away."

Kendra's then-husband, Shawn, divorced her when he discovered what she had been doing (Netflix)

What are Lauryn's thoughts on her mother Kendra now?

Though Kendra was released on parole in August 2024, she will remain under supervision until February 2026, as per the Michigan Department of Corrections.

She and Lauryn are currently prohibited from seeing each other.

"It's been about a year and a half since I've seen her," Kendra said in the Netflix documentary. "We both know that we're with each other no matter what. I definitely think we can have a healthy relationship. I know we both hold that bond that we have close."

Lauryn expressed a desire to see her mother 'when the time is right' and hopes Kendra can 'get the help that she needs' now that she's out of prison.

Kendra herself featured in the doc (Netflix)

"Being without that relationship is really hurting me. I think rebuilding our relationship will help both of us a lot. I love her more than anything," the teen added.

The documentary concluded by showing the disgraced mother out of prison after not seeing Lauryn for a year and a half.

Understandably, Lauryn, who is now 18, was not ready to see her mum yet.

And, as a barrage of screenshots of the cruel text messages that Kendra sent her daughter flashed across the screen, Lauryn told the camera: "Now that she’s out, I just want her to get the help she needs, so when we see each other, it doesn’t go back to the old ways and the way it was before."

She then concluded the doc with the tragic six-word statement: "I love her more than anything."

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish is currently available to stream on Netflix.