What Happened To Lauryn Licari After Her Mom, Kendra Licari's Arrest? Here's What We Know

Netflix’s documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish is already making a lot of noise. The documentary directed by Skye Borgman showcases the real-life cyberbullying case involving 13-year-old Lauryn Licari and her then-boyfriend, Owen. In October 2020, the teenage duo began receiving suspicious texts from an unknown number. Later, an investigation found that Lauryn’s mother, Kendra Licari, was guilty, the prime suspect who was involved in the crime. However, the biggest question was what happened to Lauryn after her mom’s arrest? For the unversed, in December 2022, Kendra was arrested on multiple charges, including stalking and using a computer for illegal activities.

What happened to the victim, Lauryn Licari, after her mom, Kendra Licari, was arrested?

Skye Borgman’s documentary, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, features Lauryn as its main character, who had to go through a lot. From being badly harassed online to getting blamed by others, Lauryn had to face emotional turmoil. Everything came crashing down, when the teenager found out the shocking truth, that it was none but her own mother, Kendra, who was behind the crime.

At first, when Skye met Lauryn in 2023, she still loved her mom, Kendra and eagerly wanted her back in her life. But Lauryn’s whole perspective changed within a year after her mom’s release from prison. For the uninitiated, Kendra Licari was released from prison on August 8, 2024. When Skye returned to Lauryn a year later, she had already begun to see things in a different way. She began to understand her mom’s complicated actions and felt the urge to be more cautious about letting her mom back into her life.

During those years, Lauryn has developed both physically and mentally. She had started critical thinking to analyse the matter that had led her to fall prey to it. Speaking to Tudum, the director, Skye Borgman, expressed that for Lauryn, the situation is hard because while other people can simply hate Kendra, Lauryn can’t. After all, it’s her mom, and that makes the issue more confusing and painful.

Now, Lauryn is stepping into adulthood and is learning that she can make her own decisions and choices, especially about whether or not she wants her mom in her life. While everything around Lauryn became much difficult after her mom, Kendra's arrest, it was her dad, Shawan, who became her pillar of strength. The father-daughter bond has become incredibly strong, filled with mutual love and respect, a shining light that emerged from a painful experience during their teenage years.

Why did Kendra Licari harass her own daughter, Lauryn Licari, online?

Multiple questions arose regarding the documentary, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish. One such question was why did Kendra harass her own daughter, Lauryn, who was a teenager online? However, the director wondered whether the motive behind committing the crime was not clear to the accused, Kendra, as well.

Speaking to Tudum, Skye shared that in the documentary, Kendra revealed that when she was young and at the same age as her daughter, she had faced an assault. The childhood trauma hit her hard when she watched her own daughter, Lauryn, grow up, and this was the reason behind her sending texts to her daughter. The director was quoted as saying:

"She does mention in the documentary an assault that happened to her when she was right around Lauryn’s age. She talks about how scary that was for her to see her only child, her little girl, growing up, and that’s what she really relates to and that’s what she believes led her to sending these text messages and trying to keep Lauryn close."

Kendra’s actions have raised concerns among many. Some people, such as school officials and Isabella County Prosecutor David Barberi, have compared Kendra’s actions to Munchausen syndrome by proxy (now referred to as factitious disorder imposed on another). For those unaware, this is a mental illness, where a child’s mother pretends that her child is sick when they aren’t. However, the director warns that Kendra’s behaviour doesn’t really fit into a medical diagnosis, but some elements are present. She was quoted as saying:

"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."

What are your thoughts on Lauryn Licari's change of behaviour after her mom, Kendra Licari's arrest? Let us know.

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