Warning: this article contains spoilers for Unknown Number: The High School Catfish

Lauryn Licari's father has revealed the heartbreaking moment he discovered that the anonymous cyberbully tormenting their teenage daughter was actually his own wife.

For those not acquainted with this unsettling case, the family's ordeal was featured in Netflix's latest true-crime documentary - Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.

To bring you up to speed, in 2020, 13-year-old Lauryn from Beal City, Michigan, along with her then-boyfriend Owen McKenny, began receiving a barrage of menacing text messages from an unknown source.

The cyberbullying ceased for a brief period but resumed in September 2021, subjecting the teenage couple to a relentless stream of hateful threats and insults over the following 15 months.

Lauryn suspected that the sender was someone familiar with her in real life, given the personal nature of the messages.

Shawn Licari has reflected on the devastating moment he found out his wife was catfishing their daughter (Netflix)

As the situation spiraled out of control, worried parents and school officials sought assistance from law enforcement.

The investigation, led by Isabella County Sheriff Mike Main, initially focused on Lauryn and Owen's classmates and friends but yielded no results in identifying the real perpetrator.

When this approach failed, Bradley Peter, a police officer from nearby Bay City, became the liaison with the FBI. He ultimately traced the messages back to none other than Lauryn’s mother, Kendra Licari.

During a search of the Licari residence, Sheriff Main confronted Kendra - an encounter recorded on his body camera and shown in the documentary.

The dad described Kendra's actions as 'stabbing him in the heart' (Netflix)

Alongside Lauryn, another person left speechless by the revelation was her father and Kendra's husband, Shawn Licari, who was completely unaware of the ongoing situation.

In the documentary, the devastated father expresses: "I just can’t fathom that she would do something like this to her daughter, whom she supposedly loved dearly.

"It makes me sick. She stabbed me in the heart, shot me in the heart, and discarded it.”

Recalling the moment he learned the truth, he added: "I received this shocking phone call at work, and it was the sheriff telling me they had figured it out. I'm thinking, 'Great, finally this nightmare will end'.

"He said, 'I'm sorry to inform you... but it's your wife'."

He rushed home from work and was met by the Sheriff, who explained: "Here's the situation, every time the kids received a message, her number was linked.

"That was sufficient for a search warrant, which is why we're here today. We've seized her phone and computer, and my detective is collecting evidence."

As reported by The Cut, Shawn divorced Kendra and obtained full custody of Lauryn when his wife was incarcerated.

The shocking revelation sent ripples through the community, and speaking in the documentary, the mother stated: "It was a very emotional day in our house. A day filled with confusion, unanswered questions, shock, and uncertainty about how to move forward, but it also marked an end."

Discussing why she engaged in such a cruel act, she added: "I started with the intention of finding answers, and then it just spiraled out of control, like a snowball effect. I didn't know how to stop.

"In those moments, I was someone different. I was in a terrible place mentally. It felt like I was wearing a mask, and I didn't recognize myself."

In December 2022, Kendra was arrested and charged with multiple counts of stalking and using a computer to commit a crime.

She pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking a minor and was sentenced to 19 months to 5 years in prison, with her release scheduled for August 8, 2024.