Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Skye Borgman, Netflix’s ‘Unknown Number: The High School Catfish’ is a documentary delving deep into a cyberbullying case that left Beal City, Michigan, baffled to the core. Two teenagers from this small town were actually harassed with explicit threats and vulgar insults for over two years, breaking their trust in one another as well as almost everyone around them. Little did they know it was one of their mothers, Kendra Newbil Licari, who was responsible for at least the majority of it, which shattered everything young Lauryn Licari thought she knew.
Lauryn Licari Experienced Her First Love in Her Early Teens
It was around 2007 when Lauryn Licari was born to Kendra Newbil Licari and Shawn Licari as their only child, leading to her growing up with their unwavering and undivided affection. They honestly supported her in all her choices, ranging from her decision to play sports from a relatively young age to her interest in boys, starting at the age of 12 with Owen McKenny. Since their hometown of Beal City is an unincorporated, suburban community in Isabella County, Michigan, everyone knows everyone in the area, so the Licaris and McKennys were no exception.
Therefore, when Lauryn and Owen developed a romantic interest through their shared passion for sports before getting to know one another on a deeper level, their parents also got close. They all conceded that while the former was rather introverted and shy despite her incredible athletic abilities, her new boyfriend was the opposite in terms of his extrovertedness and popularity. However, the couple didn’t let it affect their relationship, even if there were allegedly times when people tried to separate them. In such cases, he made sure to include his girl in all possible events.
The prime example of this was reportedly in October 2020, when 13-year-old Lauryn was not invited to a big Halloween bash that Owen’s friend Khloe Wilson planned to throw. There was a bit of friction between the two girls, yet the basketball, football, and baseball athlete made it clear that his girlfriend would be tagging along with him, no matter what. Neither expected to be bombarded with harassing messages from an unknown number in the days leading up to the party, only for them not to pay much attention to it, as they believed it was a sick prank. The fact that these messages stopped not long after also made them put it on the back burner, and they continued their beautiful, young romance. Both Lauryn and Owen have since asserted they believe they truly were in love with one another.
Lauryn Licari Endured a Daily Barrage of Insults and Suspicions
Everything was almost perfect in Lauryn’s life as she graduated from middle school and started high school in the fall of 2021, only for things to change within weeks as the messages started again. However, this time around, they were a lot more frequent, often contained information only someone close to her could have known, and didn’t stop even after days on end. According to court records, these texts almost always referred to the teenager by her nickname, Lo, declared their motivation to be splitting her and Owen, and used such vile language that it made adults flinch.
It’s imperative to note that most of these messages were sent to Lauryn in a 3-member group chat with her then-boyfriend Owen, but he vehemently maintained he had nothing to do with it. The teenagers initially tried to resolve this matter on their own, yet once the frequency as well as explicit language of these notes increased, they approached their parents, who contacted the school. Even the police were ultimately called in the hopes of providing a resolution, resulting in them learning rumors about the possible involvement of maybe Khloe Wilson, Owen’s cousin Aderianna, or Lauryn herself. As per a few of her and Owen’s high school batchmates, she was certainly introverted and shy by nature, but she also adored attention from her kind, loving boyfriend.
Thus, many suspected Lauryn herself could have been behind this harassment owing to how deeply personal it was, yet she and Owen were quickly cleared of any possible wrongdoing. The young couple eventually parted ways as they had started arguing over claims about Owen’s alleged behavior with other girls as well as just a sense of anger and resentment, yet the messages continued even then – in fact, they became worse for Lauryn. This continued until December 2022, after Kendra finally confessed to being involved in most of the latter texts and was arrested on multiple criminal counts. She ended up pleading guilty to two counts of stalking a minor, one for Lauryn and one for Owen, for which she was handed down a term of 19 months to 5 years in prison.
Lauryn Licari Appears to be Moving Forward in Life Today
Throughout Kendra’s arrest and court proceedings, Lauryn hoped people would extend some mercy to her since she was of the mindset that her mother had simply made a grave mistake. She even publicly indicated that she still loved the woman who gave birth to her and wanted her to be a significant part of her life down the line, considering their biological, lifelong standing. She knew it seemed a bit morbid because Kendra, her mother, and her sports volunteer coach, was the same individual who had told her to “kill herself” several times over text from an unknown number, but she couldn’t help it. So, she maintained communication over jail calls and letters.
However, by the time Kendra was released from prison in August 2024, Lauryn’s thinking had wavered because she had managed to process the complexity of her mother’s criminal actions. The teenager admittedly still wants Kendra to be a part of her life, yet she is no longer sure if she can trust her like before or even rebuild their close connection, meaning she is now understandably being cautious about their dynamic. Coming to other aspects of Lauryn’s life, it’s imperative to note that she and her now-divorced father, Shawn, have since moved forward to establish a relationship more tight-knit than ever before.
It appears as if they truly are one another’s confidants these days, with the patriarch even approving of her seemingly happy, healthy new relationship with local basketball and football star Zayne Cooper. From what we can tell, Zayne has just started his senior year of high school, whereas 18-year-old Lauryn graduated this year before enrolling in college to pursue a Bachelor’s in Criminology. Honestly, despite her and Owen no longer being on speaking terms as well as the fact that her bond with her mother remains up in the air, the basketball and softball athlete seems content moving forward with her life today, which is all that matters.
Read More: Where is Kendra Licari Now? Update on the Catfish Mother
