Netflix’s new documentary, Unknown Number: The High School Catfish brings one of the most unsettling cases of cyberbullying in the USA to the spotlight. It begins in Beal City, Michigan, where a teenager, Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend, Owen McKenny, were disturbed for months by threatening text messages from an anonymous sender. What shocked the entire community was the revelation that the culprit was none other than Lauryn’s own mother, Kendra Licari. For Owen’s family, especially his mother, Jill McKenny, the investigation and trial were a life-changing experience.
What happened to Jill McKenny during the cyberbullying scandal?
When Lauryn and Owen harassed online, Jill McKenny was a mother living what seemed like a normal life in Beal City. She lived with her husband, Dave, and their two children, Owen and Macy. When Owen began dating Lauryn, Jill accepted the relationship and quickly became close friends with Lauryn’s mother, Kendra. Jill saw her as a close friend and trusted ally. When the threatening texts began in October 2020, Jill was disturbed by the fear they caused her son. The texts were personal and vile that leaving Owen anxious.
