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

Shawn Licari: An Inside Look at His Life Following Wife’s Cyberbullying Scandal​

Beal City, Michigan resident Shawn Licari found himself at the center of a harrowing cyberbullying incident that rocked his family to the core. The Netflix documentary ‘Unknown Number: The High School Catfish’, released on Aug. 29, delves into the unsettling saga that unfolded when it was revealed that a mother was behind a relentless campaign of anonymous messages targeting her own daughter, Lauryn Licari, and her boyfriend, Owen McKenny.

In October 2020, Lauryn and Owen became the targets of threatening texts from unidentified numbers, escalating to 40 to 50 messages daily. This abuse persisted for years, leading to the couple’s breakup and suspicions cast on various classmates. The FBI cracked the case in August 2022, unmasking the perpetrator as Lauryn’s mother and Shawn’s then-wife, Kendra Licari. Kendra’s arrest in December that year left Shawn grappling with the aftermath of her actions and the ensuing public scrutiny.

Shawn Licari, a Beal City native, crossed paths with Kendra during her time at Central Michigan University, near his hometown. The couple tied the knot, welcoming daughter Lauryn in 2007. Before the scandal broke, Shawn worked at a local auto-body shop and cherished moments with Lauryn through hunting trips and attending her sports events. Kendra, the family’s primary breadwinner, managed finances and household duties, earning the playful moniker of Shawn’s “sugar mama” from coworkers.

Unaware for almost two years, Shawn remained oblivious to Kendra’s cyberbullying tactics against Lauryn and Owen. Kendra used an app generating new phone numbers for each malicious text, hindering the victims from blocking the abuse and law enforcement from tracing its source. The FBI intervened in 2022, scrutinizing the app company’s records to uncover Kendra’s digital footprint. With a damning IP address match, law enforcement confirmed Kendra’s guilt.

A confrontation ensued at the Licari residence in August 2022 when police, armed with a search warrant, disclosed Kendra’s actions to Shawn. The revelation of Kendra’s unemployment and financial deceit further shattered Shawn, prompting him to file for divorce. Kendra pled guilty to stalking charges in March 2023, serving a prison term while Shawn secured full custody of Lauryn.

Post-scandal, Shawn is concentrated on steering past the cyberbullying debacle, with Lauryn as his primary concern. The bond between father and daughter has deepened significantly since the incident. While Kendra’s release on parole in 2024 brought restrictions barring her from seeing Lauryn, she now resides near Detroit with family. Shawn, yet to publicly address the documentary, remains steadfast in supporting Lauryn’s journey to normalcy post-trauma.