A disturbing new Netflix true crime documentary has stunned viewers by revealing how a Michigan mom tormented her own daughter with anonymous harassment for more than a year.
The film, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, follows the case of Kendra Licari, who secretly sent her 13-year-old daughter, Lauryn, hundreds of abusive texts.
Highlights
- A shocking Netflix true crime film showed how a Michigan mom harassed her teenage daughter with vile anonymous messages for 15 months.
- The case exposed disturbing family betrayal and raised questions about a rare psychological condition.
- Experts say elements of Munchausen syndrome by proxy may explain the mom’s twisted behavior.
Experts have now weighed in on what could have caused Licari’s unusual and appalling behavior.
Kendra Licari’s anonymous messages to her daughter caused a nightmare
Image credits: Netflix/Tudum
It all began in October 2020, when Lauryn and her then-boyfriend, Owen, started receiving vicious messages from an unknown number.
At first, the harassment faded, but by September 2021, the texts returned with alarming intensity, continuing for another 15 months.
The messages didn’t just target Lauryn. They attacked Owen and also his new girlfriend after he broke up with Lauryn, according to Unilad.
Image credits: Netflix
The relentless bullying fractured relationships at school, and as parents searched for answers, suspicion even fell on other students.
Despite multiple investigations, neither the school nor local police could uncover the culprit.
That changed when the FBI traced the messages back to Licari’s own phone. Despite using a VPN to hide her digital trail, investigators ultimately uncovered her as the source.
Image credits: Netflix
Licari disturbingly admitted that she “didn’t know how to stop” once she began the harassment, and she later pled guilty to two counts of stalking a minor in 2023.
She was sentenced to up to five years but released in August 2024 under a plea deal that also prevents her from seeing her daughter.
A psychological condition may explain Kendra Licari’s appalling actions towards her own daughter
Image credits: Netflix
The very idea of a mother attacking her own child in such a cruel way has left experts searching for answers.
Some believe Licari’s behavior shows elements of “cyber” Munchausen syndrome by proxy, officially called factitious disorder imposed on another.
Typically, this disorder involves caregivers fabricating or exaggerating illnesses in children to gain attention or sympathy.
Image credits: Netflix
In Licari’s case, prosecutors and experts suggest she may have created a “cyber” version of the condition, manufacturing a crisis through online abuse so she could step in as the rescuer.
The former Beal City superintendent reflected on the case in the documentary. “I think it was a cyber-Munchausen’s case. She wanted her daughter to need her in such a way that she was willing to hurt her.”
“This is the way she chose to do that, versus physically trying to make her ill, which is typical Munchausen’s behavior.”
Image credits: Isabella County Jail
Isabella County prosecutor David Barberi also shared the same speculations about the case. However, Netflix director Skye Borgman, who helmed the film, cautioned against labeling the case too neatly.
“To give it any sort of medical foundation is a little bit problematic,” she said. “But I think that there are elements about Munchausen by proxy - about harming someone to keep them close - that definitely existed.”
Munchausen by proxy is behind the most harrowing case of Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard
Image credits: KY3 News - Springfield, Mo.
The Licari case echoes one of the most infamous examples of Munchausen by proxy: Dee Dee Blanchard, who convinced others that her daughter Gypsy Rose was severely ill.
Gypsy’s eventual escape, and her mother’s shocking homicide, became a high-profile case that inspired numerous media.
Gypsy Rose was convicted of second-degree mur*er and sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2016 for her role in Dee Dee's passing, but she was released in December 2023, according to Biography.com.
Image credits: KY3 News - Springfield, Mo.
In later comments, Gypsy Rose stated that she enjoyed more freedom in prison than in the life she shared with her mother.
She now lives with her husband and is a mother to a baby girl. She also wrote a memoir, My Time to Stand, which was released in December 2024.
Experts have stated that factors like trauma, neglect, stress, or a desperate need for validation can push the behavior of people like Dee Dee Blanchard. It should be noted, however, that Kendra Licari has never been formally diagnosed with the condition.
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish resonated with audiences, climbing Netflix’s charts after its release on August 29, 2025. The documentary became one of the platform’s most-watched films in the US.
Directed by Borgman, who is known for exploring complex psychological cases, the film gives viewers a haunting look at a crime that shattered the trust within a family and a community.
Netizens shared their thoughts on Licari’s case on social media
