Shawn Licari Now. Inside His Life 3 Years After His Wife Kendra Was Arrested for Cyberbullying Their Daughter

Beal City, Mich., resident Shawn Licari was shocked when his family became part of one of the most disturbing cyberbullying cases in recent years.

Netflix’s documentary Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, which premiered on Aug. 29, revisits the scandal that shook the small Michigan community. The story revealed that a mother had sent hundreds of anonymous messages that terrorized her own daughter, Lauryn Licari, and Lauryn’s boyfriend, Owen McKenny.

In October 2020, Lauryn and Owen started getting threatening texts from unknown numbers, sometimes receiving 40 to 50 messages a day. The harassment lasted for years, causing the couple to break up and raising suspicion about their classmates.

The FBI solved the case in August 2022 and discovered that the messages were coming from Lauryn’s mother, Shawn’s then-wife, Kendra Licari. She was arrested in December 2022, leaving Shawn to deal with the shock and public attention.

Here’s what we know about Shawn Licari and his relationship with Kendra Licari today.

Who is Shawn Licari?

Shawn grew up in Beal City and met Kendra while she studied at Central Michigan University, about 15 minutes from his hometown, according to The Cut. They married and had their daughter, Lauryn, in 2007.

Before Kendra’s arrest, Shawn worked at a local auto-body shop and spent much of his free time with Lauryn, taking her hunting and cheering her on at basketball and softball games. Kendra handled most of the finances and household duties, earning a reputation as the family’s breadwinner. Co-workers would jokingly call her Shawn’s “sugar mama.”

How did Shawn learn about the cyberbullying?

For nearly two years, Shawn didn’t know the messages targeting Lauryn and Owen were coming from his own home. Kendra used an app to generate new phone numbers for each message, making it nearly impossible to trace.

In 2022, the FBI got involved. Agents subpoenaed the app’s records and cross-checked each number, hoping to find an IP address. Only one matched: Kendra.

In August 2022, police searched the Licari home, and Kendra admitted to the harassment. Shawn, who was at work, was called by law enforcement.

“I get this crazy phone call while I’m at work, and it’s the sheriff saying that they figured it out. I’m like, ‘Sweet. Finally, this is gonna be over with,’ ” Shawn said in the Netflix documentary. “He’s like, ‘Unfortunately, it’s your wife.’ I don’t know what to say to him because, you know, I’m in shock.”

Shawn rushed home and also learned that Kendra had secretly been unemployed for almost a year, explaining their financial struggles.

How did Shawn react?

The documentary shows Shawn confronting Kendra, visibly angry. He told her she needed to leave the house to avoid making things worse. Kendra begged to stay, but Shawn insisted on time apart for their own safety and Lauryn’s well-being.

Are Shawn and Kendra still married?

After Kendra’s arrest, Shawn divorced her and won full custody of Lauryn, according to The Cut.

“I just can’t believe she would do something like that to her daughter that supposedly she loved dearly,” he said. “Just makes me sick. She stabbed me in the heart — shot me in the heart — and threw it away.”

In March 2023, Kendra pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking a minor and was sentenced to 19 months to five years in prison, according to UpNorthLive.

Where is Shawn Licari now?

Shawn is focused on moving forward and making Lauryn his top priority. The documentary’s director, Skye Borgman, told Netflix’s Tudum in September 2025 that Shawn and Lauryn now share a stronger bond.

“Me and my dad have gotten so much closer since this has happened. We just bond so well together,” Lauryn, a Beal City High School graduate, said. “Everything we do, we can find a way to laugh.”

Shawn enjoys seeing Lauryn live a normal life. “It’s fun to watch her smile and giggle and be a kid and do stupid things like we all used to do,” he said. “She’s just growing up to be a beautiful woman.”

On Aug. 8, 2024, Kendra was released on parole, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections. She and Lauryn are not allowed to see each other. As of January 2025, Kendra is living with family near Detroit, according to The Cut.

Shawn has not publicly commented on the documentary’s release.