Rotten Mango Podcast Summary

Episode: Police Gave Me EVERYTHING Netflix Didn’t Show You About “Unknown Number”
Host: Stephanie Soo
Date: September 14, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode provides a deep dive into the real-life case behind the Netflix documentary “Unknown Number,” the harrowing, complex story of Lauren and Owen—two teenagers in Beal City, Michigan—who suffered two years of relentless, explicit, and abusive cyberbullying. The shocking twist: the perpetrator was Lauren’s own mother, Kendra Licari. Drawing from over 1,200 pages of court documents, hundreds of text messages, and the unedited bodycam footage from the police investigation, Stephanie Soo uncovers layers of the case (harassment, psychological abuse, failed investigations) and discusses the broader implications, motives, and community reactions—including what was missing from the Netflix documentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to “The Golden Couple” and the Breakdown

• [02:02] Beal City’s “Golden Couple”: Lauren and Owen, both 13 and athletes, are seen by classmates as the perfect pair.
• All changes when they start receiving texts from an unknown number in a group chat. The messages escalate quickly from jealousy about homecoming to cruel and explicit threats.

“Could this be the end of the AKA golden couple? The relationship everyone idolizes?” (Stephanie, 03:04)

• The texts often focus on their relationship, undermining their trust: “Owen no longer likes you... He laughs, smiles, touches my hair. Owen loves me and I will always be the girl he loves...” (Unattributed message, [06:11])
• The harassment is relentless: 40–50 explicit, cruel texts every day for two years, driving a wedge between the two teens and leading to involvement from school leadership, local police, and eventually the FBI.

2. The Small Town Failure: Investigation & Impact on Victims

• [09:20] Beal City is tight-knit; investigators, school staff, and parents struggle to find the perpetrator for over two years.
• Lauren is repeatedly pulled from classes; the police constantly extract her text messages, but gain little ground.
• Messages contain classic bullying, sexual harassment, and suicidal provocations. Lauren’s mental health deteriorates.

“She never wants to go to school. They have to force her every morning, and they get into fights.” ([24:09])

“Kill yourself, bitch... His life would be better if you were dead.” ([19:16])

• The trauma is compounded by the failure and misdirection of authorities.

3. Escalation: Paranoia, Cyber-Investigations, and Theories

• [22:59] Lauren, Owen, and friends employ spy-like tactics to find the mole, sharing exclusive info to see what gets leaked.
• Police also attempt “digital forensics” with poor results; many believe the sender is a jealous classmate (popular girl, outcast, boy), but the harassment is too omnipresent and personal.

“They run their little own psyop... But if it's one of them, what do you do? And the messages are becoming so relentless... One of two things is going to happen: Lauren is going to self exit, or what if they snap?...” (Stephanie, [22:59])

• The texts become more sexualized and personally targeted, including graphic messages from an apparent female rival, causing deep psychological distress.
• Despite everyone knowing each other in this town, misdirected suspicion causes rifts among both students and families.

4. The Reveal: “Call Coming from Inside the House”

• [25:59] The breakthrough comes with FBI digital tracing of burner numbers and apps (like Pinger), tying all harassing texts to Lauren’s own mother, Kendra Licari.
• Police bodycam captures Kendra’s subdued, virtually emotionless admission.

Officer: “The FBI tracked down... it comes back to an IP address. So it's freaking Kendra.” ([30:02])

• Kendra used various apps and tech knowledge (she once worked as an IT specialist) to meticulously hide her identity. She even participated in the investigation and community support efforts, all while orchestrating the harassment.

5. Unpacking Motives: Theories & Psychological Angles

a. Jealous Mother

• [51:04] Court docs and texts reveal language suggesting maternal jealousy—Kendra seems obsessed with undermining Lauren’s confidence in her looks, modesty, and relationship with Owen.
• Kendra continually positions herself in competition with Lauren for Owen’s affection.

“You have no friends. You fucking suck cock for guys to talk to you... You look like an anorexic toddler... You need to do something about that.” ([45:51])

b. Cyber Munchausen by Proxy

• [63:10] Suggests Kendra wanted to play the sympathetic mother-hero by harming her daughter (online) to then “save” her.

“Kendra is a woman who cyberbullies her daughter so that she can feel needed. That is the theory out there...” ([63:09])

c. Obsession with Owen / Sexual Inappropriateness

• [70:47] Some messages cross lines of sexual inappropriateness with a 13-year-old boy, suggesting not just maternal jealousy but an obsessive, possibly predatory fixation on Lauren’s boyfriend.

“Owen loves me and I will always be the girl he loves. He will be with me while your lonely ugly ass is alone.” ([74:48])

• Court documents and unshared texts detail explicit messages far more graphic than shown in the Netflix documentary, raising questions about why more serious charges weren’t filed.

d. Desire for Chaos, Attention, or Community Standing

• Some speculate Kendra’s actions aimed to secure her a place among popular families or win sympathy and attention within the small-town social order.

6. The Fallout: Legal, Family, and Community Reactions

Legal

• Kendra eventually pleads guilty to two counts of stalking a minor (not to sexual harassment) and receives a 19-month sentence—considered shockingly low by most observers.
• The judge is openly baffled:

“This case is inexplicable. I read the psychiatric evaluation today. That gives me a little more insight...but it doesn't excuse what you did.” ([113:46])

Family

• Lauren’s father, Sean, is devastated—divorces Kendra immediately, struggles to process both the abuse and years of deceit about Kendra’s job loss and family finances.
• Lauren, in shock, slowly distances herself from her mother post-release but remains emotionally conflicted:

“Not having a relationship with my mom, I just don’t feel like myself. I feel like I need her in my life.” ([111:23])

Community

• Community finger-pointing, misdirected suspicions, rifts among both kids and parents.
• Victims: Lauren and Owen, but also other students wrongly accused (e.g., Chloe, Adrianna) and their families.
• Some town parents and netizens show bitter disbelief and anger at the outcome; controversy erupts over portrayals and reactions seen in the Netflix doc.

7. What the Netflix Documentary Missed

• Netflix left out the most explicit, sexually charged harassment texts.
• Left out the full depth of misdirection, parental rivalry, sabotage, and Kendra’s technological “cover” strategies.
• Did not fully explore the extended psychological harm, lasting trauma to Lauren, or the community’s self-inflicted wounds.

“There are even photoshopped pictures with vomit emojis thrown on top of Lauren’s face, writing words like skank and hoe all over the photos... This is like a freaking bombardment of hatred.” ([54:17])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the reveal:
  • “The unknown sender is Lauren’s own mom, Kendra.” ([25:59])
• Police confrontation:
  • Officer: “The messages, coming and originating from you.”
  • Kendra (quietly): “No.”
• Kendra’s Motive (her version):
  • “I started in the thoughts of: we need some answers. And then it just kept going. It was a spiral, kind of a snowball effect. I don’t think I knew how to stop... It was like I had a mask on or something.” ([37:10])
• On emotional damage:
  • Stephanie: “The effects of these messages... will create lifelong trauma. Drama. Learning that this was her own mother... only exacerbates those effects tenfold.” ([57:17])
• Lauren, on her mother’s betrayal:
  • “I didn’t even know how to describe the feeling. Why would mom do that? Like, did she really have to do this?” ([108:50])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:02 — Introduction to Lauren, Owen, and the unknown messages
• 13:07–20:00 — Harassment escalates: explicit, relentless messages, mental toll
• 22:59 — “Find the mole” psyop by teens; police and school strategies
• 25:59 — Police and FBI involvement, tracing back to Kendra
• 30:36–33:27 — Kendra’s police confrontation, vague denial, slow reveal
• 35:50–40:16 — Kendra’s shifting rationalizations and the darkest texts (from court docs)
• 51:04–54:17 — Exploring jealousy theory and mother-daughter psychology
• 63:10–64:41 — Munchausen by proxy and “needing to be needed” theories
• 70:47–76:32 — Obsession with Owen and inappropriate sexual content in texts
• 80:49–83:58 — Legal outcome, sentencing, the court & judge’s reaction
• 99:59–103:14 — Sean’s and Lauren’s reactions; community perception
• 111:23 — Lauren post-release: “I feel like I need her in my life...”
• 113:46 — Judge’s statement on the inexplicableness of the crime

The Podcast’s Tone

Stephanie Soo maintains her classic Rotten Mango mix of empathy, outrage, incredulity, and wry humor while never losing sight of the real, lasting harm done to the victims. The tone is alternately somber, appalled, and critical—especially toward failures of parents, police, and legal outcomes, but always centering empathy for Lauren and those harmed by the deception.

Summary / Takeaway

This deeply detailed episode exposes both the breadth and depth of the damage done by Kendra Licari’s two-year campaign of cyberbullying against her own daughter and others, as well as the unimaginable betrayal and psychological wounds left behind. Many of the darkest, most disturbing details and plausible motives were absent from the Netflix documentary, and Stephanie Soo’s investigation leverages real court documents, insider accounts, and commentary to make clear just how chaotic and harmful the case was—not just for Lauren, but for her friends, her family, and the wider community.

“All roads lead back to Kendra.” ([45:51])

Content Warning: This episode contains extensive discussion of cyberbullying, mental abuse, and sexual harassment, at times in disturbing detail.

If you plan to watch the Netflix documentary, this episode provides the important context and real-life horror that the screen version only partly reveals.