The Netflix documentary Unknown Number exposes how Kendra tormented her own daughter for years. If you haven’t seen it yet, you need to — because the story of Kendra Licari is something you rarely witness in real life. Ever since finishing the documentary, viewers have been left wondering how so much cruelty could exist in one person.
The case of Kendra Licari is one of the most disturbing examples of family cyberbullying documented in the United States, and it is at the center of Netflix’s Unknown Number: A School Cyberbullying Scandal. Between October 2020 and December 2022, Michigan teenager Lauryn Licari began receiving anonymous messages from an unknown number. The texts weren’t just cruel — they were humiliating, and in some cases included explicit instructions to commit suicide. The sender pretended to be a jealous classmate angry over Lauryn’s relationship with her boyfriend. While many suspects were considered, the FBI investigation revealed the shocking truth: Lauryn’s own mother, Kendra Licari, was behind the harassment the entire time.
Where Is Kendra Licari Now?
At first, suspicion fell only on Lauryn’s classmates. But when the FBI became involved, due to the technological sophistication of the bullying, they uncovered the real culprit. The messages were traced to an app that masked phone numbers, eventually leading back to the phone of Kendra Licari herself.
In December 2022, Kendra was arrested and pled guilty to two counts of child harassment. She was sentenced to between 19 months and five years in prison but was released on probation on August 8, 2024. She will remain under supervision until 2026. Disturbingly, there has never been a clear explanation for why Kendra targeted her own daughter.
Kendra denied being jealous of or attracted to Lauryn’s boyfriend Owen, though some relatives suggested it could have been a case of digital Munchausen by proxy syndrome, where a parent harms their child to gain attention.
Life After Prison
So far, there is no public evidence that Kendra has resumed any professional activity since her release from prison. Before the scandal, she worked in the IT department at Ferris State University but resigned in 2021 — which ironically gave her more time to stalk her daughter and Owen.
Since her release, Kendra’s life seems marked by remorse and attempts to rebuild family ties, especially with Lauryn. The documentary shows her as reflective, but with no clear professional direction.
Her exact residence has not been disclosed, but records confirm that she was released on probation on August 8, 2024, and will remain under supervision until February 2026, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. She is even prohibited from seeing her daughter until Lauryn is over 18. What remains uncertain is whether Lauryn has truly forgiven her mother.