Netflix’s “Unknown Number: The High School Catfish” Sparks Nationwide Conversation

August 30, 2025 | Entertainment News

Netflix’s new true-crime documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish has dominated headlines after its global debut on August 29. The film chronicles the shocking case of Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend Owen McKenny, a high-school couple from Beal City, Michigan, who endured nearly two years of relentless cyberstalking by an anonymous phone number-only to discover the culprit was Lauryn’s own mother, Kendra Licari.

The documentary, directed by Skye Borgman, investigates how the anonymous texter used a burner-number app to send Lauryn and Owen up to 50 menacing messages per day-ranging from false breakup threats to explicit sexual harassment and even calls for suicide. Viewers witness chilling reenactments of police body-cam footage from Kendra’s arrest, interviews with the teenage couple, law-enforcement officials, and the FBI cybercrime expert who unraveled the mystery.

Since its premiere, Unknown Number has ignited discussions across social media and mental-health forums about parental boundaries, digital privacy, and the psychological impacts of cyberbullying. Mental-health advocates have praised Netflix for including on-screen resources for viewers experiencing distress, while legal analysts debate whether current cybercrime statutes adequately address cases of familial catfishing.

Key Details

Release Date: August 29, 2025
Director: Skye Borgman
Run Time: 1 hour 34 minutes
Production: Campfire Studios and Terminal B TV
Synopsis: A mother manipulates her daughter’s life by posing as an unknown aggressor via text, culminating in a startling revelation when the FBI traces the harassment back to her.

As audiences continue to process the film’s unsettling twist, Netflix has reported surge in viewership and robust social-media engagement under the hashtag #UnknownNumber. The documentary is available to stream now on Netflix.