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Netflix’s ‘Unknown Number’ Reignites Michigan Cyberbullying Case and Scrutiny of Its Handling

A retired FBI agent says investigators should have ruled out parents first.

Overview

  • The film revisits the two-year harassment of Beal City teens via masked numbers and shows how digital forensics ultimately identified the sender.
  • Kendra Licari pleaded guilty to stalking in 2023, received a 19-month to five-year sentence, and is on supervised parole after her 2024 release with a no-contact restriction toward her daughter through February 2026.
  • An ex-FBI special agent criticizes the early focus on classmates and urges future probes to swiftly eliminate household devices by checking home IP addresses.
  • Students who were questioned or suspected, including a victim’s cousin, recount lasting reputational and psychological harm despite being cleared.
  • Now 18, the two teens describe rebuilding their lives, with one playing college baseball and the other planning to study criminology.