Unknown Number: The High School Catfish tells the story of teens Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny, who were targeted with harassing and worrying text messages
Netflix viewers have been left in shock at the story(Image: Netflix)
Netflix fans have been left feeling “mind blown” following the release of a new real life documentary, which has topped the streaming giant’s most-watched charts. Unknown Number: The High School Catfish is currently sitting at spot number two.
It tells the real tale of a teenage girl and her boyfriend, who are viciously cyberbullied by an unknown phone number for months. However, as the investigation into the harassment unfolds, the authorities uncover a shocking secret.
In the small town of Beal City in Michigan, ‘golden couple’ Lauryn Licari and Owen McKenny had been together since junior high, as they entered high school as smitten as ever.
Blindsided one day, a group text was sent to both Licari and McKenny from an unknown number claiming he was cheating on her. They found it odd, but dismissed it.
However a year later, the texts returned at an alarming rate of up to 40-50 a day. The messages, as shown in the documentary, threatened Licari and made sexually explicit advances toward McKenny.
Lauryn Licari is targeted with vile text messages (Image: Netflix)
In a twist that left viewers with their jaws on the floor, it soon upends everything anyone thought they knew about the case. Those who have watched the film doc have taken to Rotten Tomatoes to leave reviews, as they hailed it a ‘must watch’.
“Absolutely wild. I feel so bad for the daughter and it was very eerie to see what ends up happening at the end…,” one person noted. as someone else wrote: “This was fantastic. It was very well written and the mystery behind it was mind blowing.”
Someone else awarding the documentary full stars commented: “It’s a shocking story. Credit to all those who participated in the show to tell their story. That must have been very difficult.”
“Great documentary!,” praised another viewer. “I did not expect that at the end. It’s crazy how the mom just acts like a victim.”
Another added: “Wow, I had goosebumps the whole time. It was intense, sad, and weird. I mean, that was shocking and scary! I had nightmares.”
One viewer quipped: “Insane watch. Very interesting story that spirals into an unsuspecting ending…”
“This documentary was honestly heartbreaking,” one person simply added, as someone else said: Does a strong job of pulling viewers into the story.
“The filmmakers clearly put a lot of effort into bringing together many of the key people involved, and the interviews provide depth, context, and authenticity. Hearing directly from the main characters made the documentary feel personal and engaging.”
However some people, although they enjoyed the documentary, admitted they had ‘figured out’ who was behind the text messages just minutes in.
One person noted: “It’s a shocking story and definitely worth a watch. Hate to be ‘that person’ but I guessed who it was within the first five minutes, but it was still interesting to see how it all panned out,” as others echoed having cracked the case quickly.
Unknown Number: The High School Catfish is now streaming on Netflix.
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