Forensic examiner explains “strangest” part of Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish proves that truth is often stranger than fiction, but one moment in particular has been dubbed the “strangest part” of the Netflix documentary, sparking a heated discussion. 

Directed by Skye Borgman, the new documentary takes us to October 2020 in Beal City, Michigan, when then 13-year-old Lauryn Licari and her boyfriend at the time, Owen McKenney, were targeted by an unknown cyberstalker. 

Following a year-long gap, the messages returned and they were even more threatening than before, ranging from vile insults about Lauryn’s body to explicit comments and even urges to commit suicide.

After a traumatic ordeal and countless deadends, the FBI were finally able to track down the culprit, and it was someone nobody expected: Lauryn’s very own mother, Kendra Licari. The true crime documentary shows the moment police arrive at the Licari house and break the news to both Lauryn and Kendra. 

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish viewers explain “strangest” moment

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This interaction has sparked plenty of conversation. While some viewers think Lauryn and her dad Shawn didn’t seem surprised given the gravity of the situation, a reported forensic examiner has explained that people often react to trauma and shock in vastly different ways. 

The discussion began when a Redditor wrote, “The strangest part for me was when the police go to Kendra’s house and say they’ve tracked the IP address back to this house. 

“When the police call Lauryn inside the house and tell her what’s been going on she doesn’t really seem shocked. She doesn’t confront her mom at all. She doesn’t say anything!

“Then the dad is told to come over by the police, outside the police explains what has happened and that Kendra has also lied about having a job.

“When the dad goes inside he’s only bothered about when Kendra was laid off from her job, he doesn’t mention anything at all about the fact Lauryn’s mom has been aggressively cyber bullying their daughter for over a year.”

Bear in mind that both Lauryn and Shawn will have been in shock – sometimes people may disassociate or not have a moment to realize the severity of the situation until later on down the line. 

We can’t predict how a person will react in such a stressful situation, especially when it’s related to someone you love, let alone a parent. Then there’s the fact that the police weren’t entirely clear about the cyberbullying, meaning they may have been confused. 

In response to the post, one person said, “I think Lauryn could not even grasp what she was hearing. Even in the interviews she gives today, you can see she is still processing what happened and wondering what is true and what is not. 

“She’s had two years to work through it and she still can’t figure out what her mom did. I think it will be a very long time until she does and I think her mom will hurt her again and again until she finally lets go or puts up boundaries.

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“It sounds like the dad wasn’t as involved in finding out what was happening. He left everything up to his wife to handle, including the day to day in the home… I’m sure she was as manipulative and controlling to him as well.”

Another replied to the above comment, “I agree. I think as viewers we have expectations about how other people ‘should’ react based on how we believe we would react.

“As a forensic examiner, I have come to understand that people who are not prepared for what is happening to them can react in ways we might think are ‘incorrect.’

“I’ve examined survivors of sexual violence many times – and some people cry. But I’ve had patients who appeared completely different to what you would expect from a survivor. 

“Everything from kids who are actively bleeding and I’m in the middle of collecting evidence off their body while they are texting their friends and giggling… to people acting quiet and unsurprised like Lauren did. It’s just how people survive in the moment.”

Officer faces criticism over Lauryn and Kendra Licari conversation 

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Other viewers of the Netflix documentary are just shocked that the police didn’t separate Lauryn and Kendra at that moment in time, while also questioning the indirect language they used when breaking the news. 

“I went back to watch this part again because yeah, he never actually says anything direct,” said one, before sharing a transcription of the police’s statement:

“I’m going to start the conversation. You guys have been under a lot of stress recently. Some moves going on, some financial issues and everything else going on. Mom got wrapped up in some stuff, and she didn’t start it but she did continue it. 

“‘So we have found some evidence and have a search warrant. We’re gonna take her phone and stuff. Sometimes… when we aren’t thinking straight we do some things that aren’t right. 

“Your mom doesn’t want this to get out but it is some public information. So it’s not going to not get out. I wanna be honest about that, all right?’”

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Another viewer wrote, “I was confused as hell during that whole conversation, and I am an adult who already knew what was going on. 

“I don’t understand what exactly that whole word salad was even supposed to be about. And then he just leaves all these upset people sitting there, like ‘Well I hope you guys can work all this out! See ya.’ Like, what?

“I am also very baffled as to why they were even discussing anything with Lauryn with her abuser in the same room at that point. 

“Like why didn’t they talk to Lauryn and her father alone and clearly explain what had been going on and how they knew for a fact it was her mom? And why wasn’t there a counselor or therapist present? 

“It’s not like this insane woman went from having a perfectly healthy relationship with her daughter to launching this abuse campaign and there’s just nothing else to start unpacking there. 

“Lauryn seems like she’s still very much wrapped up in a toxic relationship with her mom, and I just don’t understand why nobody is doing anything to help her see that.”

“I also wondered why he was telling Lauryn this in front of her abuser. When she immediately started hugging Lauryn I felt repulsed – so manipulative and controlling,” a third agreed.

Unknown Number: The High School Catfish is streaming on Netflix now. For more true crime news, read about if the Jussie Smollett case was a hoax, Amanda Knox’s ordeal in prison, and the first poster for Monster: The Ed Gein Story.