Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (2025) on Netflix
R20251h 34mDocumentary
Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend Owen McKenny get taunting texts from a number they do not know. Police in Beal City, Michigan, hunt the sender as the messages keep coming.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb6.7/1022,736 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes85%
Trailer
Plot summary
Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny, high school students in Beal City, Michigan, begin receiving taunting messages in October 2020 from a phone number neither of them recognizes. The texts stop and then resume in September 2021, arriving persistently for over 15 months. They are threatening and insulting, aimed at Lauryn's looks, and they express a sexual interest in Owen. Their parents, along with school staff, fear for the two students' safety and report the harassment to the police. The Isabella County Sheriff heads the investigation, assisted by Beal City officers and the FBI. As the messages continue, concern spreads through the community.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Unknown Number: The High School Catfish (2025)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
SPOILER
The cyberbullying at the center of Unknown Number was traced to Kendra Licari, the mother of the teenage victim Lauryn Licari, after investigators identified the IP address behind the anonymous phone number.- Lauryn Licari and her then-boyfriend Owen McKenny first received harassing texts from an unknown number in October 2020; the messages stopped, then resumed in September 2021 and continued for more than 15 months.
