Netflix documentary 'Unknown Number' has Metro Detroit connections

Netflix show 'Unknown Number' has ties to Waterford

Former Isabella County, Michigan prosecutor David Barberi tried the case that inspired the Netflix documentary "Unknown Number."

WATERFORD, Mich. (FOX 2) - A documentary with ties to Waterford is generating a lot of buzz. It's one of the most-watched films on Netflix right now. If you haven't seen "Unknown Number," consider this your spoiler alert.

Local perspective:

Former Isabella County, Michigan prosecutor David Barberi tried the case that inspired the Netflix documentary "Unknown Number."

"It doesn’t surprise me that it's garnered this much attention, but at the same time, I don’t think anybody was prepared for the response it’s gotten," he said.

For over a year, the victims, 13-year-old Lauryn Licari, and her then-boyfriend received thousands of threatening, vulgar, and shocking text messages from an unknown number.

Many of the messages encouraged Lauryn to self-harm and threatened her safety. In the end, digital evidence pointed to Lauryn’s own mother, Kendra Licari, as the sender, or catfish, of these messages.

"We were very surprised and we never would have thought in a million years it was the parent of a child that ended up being involved in this," said Barberi.

Dig deeper:

Kendra, who is from Waterford, was sentenced to 19 months in jail for two counts of stalking a minor. The big question remains: why would a mom do this?

"We never really uncovered a motive. We were never really were able to discern what the goal was when she started doing this or why she continued. That was the surprising thing," said Barberi.

If you are experiencing depression or thoughts of self-harm, you can always call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.