Sept. 26, 2025

Betrayal by Text: The Cyber Munchausen Case

The digital shadows we cast can sometimes conceal our darkest impulses - but what happens when the monster behind the screen is the very person sworn to protect you?

In the tiny Michigan town of Bill City (population 312), 13-year-old Lauren received her first anonymous text message during a Halloween party. "Owen is breaking up with you," it claimed, referring to her boyfriend. What began as seemingly typical teenage drama quickly spiraled into a 15-month nightmare of relentless psychological torture. The unknown texter bombarded Lauren with up to 40 messages daily, calling her an "anorexic toddler," commanding her to "kill herself," and attempting to destroy her relationship.

The texting intensified around social events, showcasing intimate knowledge of Lauren's whereabouts and activities. Even after the teenage couple broke up under the pressure, the harassment continued, shifting to target Owen's new girlfriend. Parents contacted police, school officials held meetings, and the FBI was eventually called in. The entire community became consumed with speculation about who could harbor such hatred toward these teenagers.

When digital forensics finally traced the messages through sophisticated VPN networks to their source, no one was prepared for the truth. The tormentor wasn't a jealous classmate or online predator - it was Lauren's own mother, Kendra Lacari. The same woman who coached Lauren's basketball team, comforted her after receiving the texts, and actively participated in the investigation was creating the very trauma she pretended to help solve.

Psychological experts suggest Kendra's behavior aligns with "Munchausen by Internet," where someone creates crises to position themselves as heroes. While financial troubles and job loss may have contributed to her mental state, the calculated cruelty of her actions - including attempts to frame another student and explicit encouragement for the teens to engage in sexual activities - reveals something profoundly disturbing about the potential for betrayal from those we trust most.

Despite everything, Lauren showed remarkable resilience, continuing her education and becoming a standout athlete who now studies criminology in college. Her story reminds us that while technology can be weaponized in unimaginable ways, the human spirit can withstand even the most intimate betrayals.

If you've experienced cyberbullying or digital harassment, remember that help is available, and you deserve support no matter who the perpetrator might be.

Do you want to advertise with 69 SOUTH?

Visit Rosie's Posy for all your farmstead, sourdough and flower needs at 6082 E. Hadley Rd. , Moorseville, Indiana.

Ad for 69 South Tees

Scented Jewels
We’ve got the coolest wax melts ever. Dive into a world of many aromas at shopscentedjewels.com

Rosie's Posys Farmstand
Sourdough, Sweets, and Flowers at 6082 E. Hadley Rd., Moorseville, IN

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Disclaimer: All defendants are INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY in a court of law. All facts are alleged until a conviction!

00:00 - Podcast Introduction and Trigger Warning

02:24 - Introducing Lauren and Owen's Story

05:07 - Mysterious Texts Begin Targeting the Teens

10:53 - Relentless Bullying Campaigns Escalate

18:59 - FBI Investigation Reveals Shocking Truth

29:41 - Kendra's Disturbing Tactics and Motives

39:14 - The Aftermath and Legal Consequences

47:14 - Lauren's Resilience and Moving Forward

WEBVTT

00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:40.320
Welcome everyone to Podcast Sixty Nine South, where we cuss and discuss true crime, code cases, current events, and hot topics, along with our state of society today.

00:00:40.640 --> 00:00:42.079
This is your trigger warning.

00:00:42.240 --> 00:00:47.359
Our podcast content is produced for adult listeners 18 years of age and older.

00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:51.359
We discuss situations that may be offensive and triggering to some listeners.

00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:54.320
Sit back, relax, and enjoy.

00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:04.000
Welcome back, everyone, to 69 South Podcast, where we bring you true crime stories from places that seem utterly unbelievable.

00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:10.159
I'm your host, Chop, and today with my beautiful co-host Julie, we are going to dive into a wild story.

00:01:10.480 --> 00:01:11.599
Hello, everyone.

00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:14.400
Well, wild is an understatement.

00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:29.920
Today we're excited to break down the new Netflix documentary, Unknown Number, which follows the story of a young girl, Lauren, and her boyfriend Owen, both around 13 years old, and students at Beale City High in Bill City, Michigan.

00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:31.920
If you haven't seen it yet, no worries.

00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:34.319
We've got you covered and we'll unpack it all.

00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:39.200
I recommend watching it before and after you uncover the suspect's identity.

00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:43.599
Trust me, your perspective will shift once you figure out who's behind the unknown number.

00:01:43.760 --> 00:01:50.400
Let's start with Bill City, Michigan, a small town in the heart of the state with a population of just 312.

00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:59.519
We're talking a tiny, unincorporated community with one K through 12 school, a blinking yellow light, a gas station, and two taverns.

00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:03.599
Blink while driving through, and you'll you might miss this little spot.

00:02:03.760 --> 00:02:07.040
The biggest events here revolve around the school and the sports.

00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:14.560
13-year-old Lauren, an all-star athlete and straight A student, who's timid, shy, and soft spoken.

00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:23.360
She excelled in basketball, volleyball, softball, and even cheered as a cheerleader, making her a standout in extracurricular activities.

00:02:23.599 --> 00:02:33.439
Then there's 13-year-old Owen, equally involved in school academically and athletically, football, basketball, and baseball, sharing a passion for sports with Lauren.

00:02:33.759 --> 00:02:41.520
Their young love story begins during the fall of their eighth grade year when a local family hosted an invite only Halloween party.

00:02:41.759 --> 00:02:47.439
Lauren wasn't originally on the guest list, but Owen asked her to join, and she reluctantly agreed.

00:02:47.680 --> 00:02:52.639
Though outgoing on the field, Lauren was more reserved off of it, a quiet, shy teen.

00:02:52.800 --> 00:03:00.319
A few weeks before the Halloween party, she received a text from an unknown number saying, Hi, Lauren, Owen is breaking up with you.

00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:03.199
He no longer likes you, and he hasn't for a while.

00:03:03.360 --> 00:03:05.120
It's obvious he wants me.

00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:08.400
Naturally, she showed the messages to her mom, Kendra.

00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:10.960
They dismissed it as a prank and moved on.

00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:15.759
But those texts planted seeds of doubt in Lauren, as they would any young girl.

00:03:20.400 --> 00:03:27.120
Then in the fall of twenty twenty one, when they were in ninth grade, Owen and Lauren got more messages.

00:03:27.520 --> 00:03:29.599
And these texts read like this.

00:03:38.400 --> 00:03:40.639
And we are both DTF.

00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:43.280
He wants nothing to do with you.

00:03:43.439 --> 00:03:48.479
He thinks you're annoying and an ugly ass bitch and wishes you would leave him the fuck alone.

00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:52.960
Why do you think he is on his phone all the time texting me, question mark?

00:03:53.199 --> 00:03:55.360
You didn't get invited to sleep with him.

00:03:55.520 --> 00:03:56.159
I did.

00:03:56.400 --> 00:03:58.240
I'm spending the night with him.

00:03:58.319 --> 00:04:00.719
I'm sharing a bed with him, not you.

00:04:01.039 --> 00:04:05.120
Damn, that's harsh for a teenage girl to hear about her boyfriend.

00:04:05.520 --> 00:04:06.960
Well, absolutely it is.

00:04:07.120 --> 00:04:12.080
And the the weird thing is, is so in 2020 there was that Halloween party.

00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:12.639
Right.

00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:18.560
And um, and then the next year there was another one.

00:04:18.800 --> 00:04:30.560
So it was like the messages just popped up around the Halloween party, and then they quit, and then here comes, you know, next year's and they start all over again.

00:04:30.639 --> 00:04:31.920
It's odd.

00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:40.079
So right off the gate, you think it's some jealous other girl uh going to the Halloween party and got her eyes on Owen this whole year.

00:04:40.480 --> 00:04:40.959
Exactly.

00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:45.920
And can you imagine what you know these texts are making this young girl think?

00:04:46.399 --> 00:04:47.279
DTF.

00:04:47.439 --> 00:04:51.199
We are both DTF, meaning We're both down to fuck.

00:04:51.759 --> 00:05:05.040
Yeah, and so as a as a young girl, if you got a message like that, that would probably make you think, oh well, I should get involved sexually with this boy.

00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:13.600
That's what that makes me think she's gonna be insecure about it, so she's thinking, oh well, maybe if I give it to him, he won't.

00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:14.160
Right.

00:05:14.240 --> 00:05:21.040
Whoever the slut is that's texting me might be might be having sex with my dude, so maybe I better step my game up type shit.

00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:22.160
Exactly.

00:05:22.319 --> 00:05:35.120
Now, Tammy, the host of the Halloween party, caught wind of the incident and she called Lauren's mother, Kendra, to assure her that Lauren was certainly invited to the Halloween party.

00:05:35.439 --> 00:05:39.439
So the text continued sporadically through the end of that year.

00:05:39.759 --> 00:05:45.040
Jill, Owen's mom, showed them to school officials who just told her to block the number.

00:05:45.360 --> 00:05:47.120
Sometimes Lauren would fight back.

00:05:47.360 --> 00:05:49.040
I don't care what you say.

00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:54.319
Owen and I are solid and you're not going to break us up, she texted back.

00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:56.399
Other times she would take the bait.

00:05:56.480 --> 00:05:59.360
She'd text Owen, Are you hanging out with other girls?

00:05:59.600 --> 00:06:02.000
Or she would text, Do you want to break up?

00:06:02.240 --> 00:06:08.480
Owen would always FaceTime back and reassure Lauren that he didn't want to break up and that he wasn't hanging out with other girls.

00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:09.199
Poor dude.

00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:10.800
So this went on for months.

00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:16.079
Now, by the start of high school, Owen began to pull away from Lauren.

00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:22.079
The text made up 75% of the reason he calculates why they broke up.

00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:26.800
It's and he said it's just hard to be with someone after all of that.

00:06:27.120 --> 00:06:33.439
At a volleyball match in their freshman year, Owen and Lauren sat apart from each other.

00:06:33.680 --> 00:06:43.360
That's when Lauren started getting texts from her mom, Kendra, who was across the gym, and she was texting Lauren, sit next to him.

00:06:43.759 --> 00:06:47.519
Wow, that must have been intense for her, especially coming from her own mom.

00:06:47.839 --> 00:06:49.279
Well, it didn't stop there.

00:06:49.439 --> 00:06:51.519
The text kept coming in from Kendra.

00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:53.360
She was texting, answer me.

00:06:53.839 --> 00:06:54.720
Come here now.

00:06:54.879 --> 00:06:56.160
I'm pissed.

00:06:56.720 --> 00:06:58.480
That escalation just sounds weird.

00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:00.959
Why would a mother be pushing her daughter to do that?

00:07:01.199 --> 00:07:02.160
Well, it got worse.

00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:04.240
The pressure from Kendra kept building.

00:07:04.480 --> 00:07:06.079
Move your ass now.

00:07:06.480 --> 00:07:09.040
Now I'm fuming, pissed off.

00:07:09.279 --> 00:07:10.959
This is fucking ridiculous.

00:07:11.120 --> 00:07:13.360
Answer me and move your ass.

00:07:13.680 --> 00:07:14.800
That's unbelievable.

00:07:14.879 --> 00:07:17.839
It sounds like Kendra was really putting the pressure on this little girl.

00:07:18.079 --> 00:07:21.920
Could you imagine how awkward, you know, Lauren felt?

00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:24.000
And her mom's like, move over there next to him.

00:07:24.160 --> 00:07:25.360
And she's like, Well, we're broke.

00:07:25.519 --> 00:07:27.439
She's in her mind, she's thinking, we're broke up.

00:07:27.600 --> 00:07:30.879
Why would I be stalker-ish and go sit next to him?

00:07:30.959 --> 00:07:33.920
If he wanted to sit next to me, he would have sat next to me.

00:07:34.000 --> 00:07:38.959
And she's like pushing her to do things that she didn't want to or was uncomfortable.

00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:39.759
Exactly.

00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:42.959
Meanwhile, the anonymous bully was picking up on the tempo.

00:07:43.439 --> 00:07:50.319
In the lead up to the homecoming dance, the bully claimed that only one of them would be voted on to homecoming court.

00:07:50.480 --> 00:07:55.920
Could this be the end of the aka golden couple with the relationship that everyone idolizes?

00:07:56.399 --> 00:08:01.199
Now, just imagine what these messages are doing to Lauren's emotional psyche.

00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:01.920
Right.

00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:09.759
You have somebody just hammering on you, you know, that they're gonna break your relationship up with your boyfriend.

00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:12.079
And you know how young love is at that time.

00:08:12.399 --> 00:08:16.959
Oh yeah, that's the person you're gonna be with forever, for sure.

00:08:17.279 --> 00:08:18.959
Well, they think that in the moment anyway.

00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:20.000
Absolutely.

00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:26.079
Owen and Lauren went to the homecoming dance together, but in early November he called Lauren and asked to break up.

00:08:26.240 --> 00:08:30.480
He said he was just sick of fighting and the texting had driven down trust.

00:08:30.720 --> 00:08:34.480
Lauren remembers he asked whether they could just take a break.

00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:35.919
They both cried.

00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:39.039
To Owen, breaking up was also tactical.

00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:42.799
He hoped it would satisfy the harasser and they would be left alone.

00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:52.879
Now I never understood why they never changed Lauren's phone number or put a block on her phone that only contacts are allowed to call or message that phone.

00:08:53.039 --> 00:09:03.200
I know Apple has that in the parental controls, and if your number isn't in the contacts, you're not even able to view the message.

00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:10.000
It's a fact that social media for young teens under 18 can be a very dangerous place.

00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:16.799
So they kept the breakup quiet in school, but in the days after, the cyber bully started declaring victory.

00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:19.759
Lauren is heartbroken and feeling defeated.

00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:21.519
That is just downright evil.

00:09:21.679 --> 00:09:23.600
Some very serious bullying.

00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:29.200
And can you just imagine if you had no idea who was sending these text messages?

00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:30.480
I would be petrified.

00:09:30.720 --> 00:09:32.559
It would be driving me insane.

00:09:32.799 --> 00:09:35.200
Her sense of security is completely shattered.

00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:42.799
This invisible person is controlling her sense of self-being, her emotions, and this is leading her to a nervous breakdown.

00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:52.320
This was a sustained, flooding torrent of messages, sometimes as many as 30 to 40 a day arriving at all hours day and night.

00:09:52.559 --> 00:09:57.039
The relentless assault left the teenagers and their parents exhausted and frightened.

00:09:57.360 --> 00:09:59.759
And the content of these messages were brutal.

00:09:59.919 --> 00:10:01.679
The words weren't just insults.

00:10:01.759 --> 00:10:05.600
They were designed to inflict maximum psychological damage.

00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:10.320
They were deeply personal, targeting Lauren's body and her athletic ability.

00:10:10.480 --> 00:10:18.159
One message which we've seen documented was a truly vile and demeaning statement, calling her a quote, anorexic toddler.

00:10:18.559 --> 00:10:27.519
And this is where the sheer evil of the bully shines through was a direct and horrifying command to kill yourself now, bitch.

00:10:27.759 --> 00:10:35.360
The bully, whoever they were, seemed to derive pleasure from Lauren's suffering from her obvious pain and her vulnerability.

00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:39.679
The harassment wasn't confined to just text messages either.

00:10:39.840 --> 00:10:42.240
The bully took their campaign public.

00:10:42.480 --> 00:10:52.639
An Instagram account was created, posting a heavily doctored photo of Lauren and Owen, accompanied by a caption filled with hateful and mocking comments.

00:10:52.879 --> 00:11:01.279
The social media component was a significant escalation, moving the cruelty from private correspondence to a public spectacle.

00:11:01.440 --> 00:11:07.519
It was a calculated attempt to humiliate the teenagers in front of their entire school and friend group.

00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:11.679
And the emotional toe, as we can see from the police reports, was immense.

00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:15.279
The teenagers were becoming reclusive, sad, and anxious.

00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:20.639
You got to remember this was a K through 12 school with a population of just above 300.

00:11:21.120 --> 00:11:27.840
Yeah, and I think there was um 700 students in the school altogether, K through 12.

00:11:28.240 --> 00:11:30.480
So everybody knew everybody in this school.

00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:36.879
I mean, you probably went to kindergarten, and these teenagers are in eighth and ninth grade now.

00:11:37.039 --> 00:11:39.200
So you know it was bugging the shit out of them, man.

00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:43.519
Which one of these people that I've known my whole life is fucking with me like this?

00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:52.159
Yeah, and they're already suspecting that it's a jealous girlfriend or somebody because who else would send messages like that?

00:11:52.399 --> 00:11:56.000
And it all revolves around these this couple.

00:11:56.720 --> 00:12:01.039
Teenagers are brutal, especially jealous teenage girls.

00:12:01.840 --> 00:12:04.399
Yeah, ruthless, 100%.

00:12:05.200 --> 00:12:09.600
One of the most chilling details we've seen in the reports is the story of the Halloween party.

00:12:09.759 --> 00:12:13.759
This was a private party, a simple get-together for a close group of friends.

00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:20.480
And yet the unknown number who they referred to as a ghost friend at the time was seemingly in attendance.

00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:28.720
The bully sent messages that were so specific, so detailed about the events of that party that it gave the teenagers and their parents a terrifying thought.

00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:33.200
The bully wasn't a distant online figure, they were physically present.

00:12:33.440 --> 00:12:40.559
The bully was said to have been there the whole time, according to one source, a phrase that sends a shiver down your spine.

00:12:40.720 --> 00:12:46.879
The fear that the tormentor was a trusted friend and a seemingly harmless acquaintance was unbearable.

00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:50.159
The parents, in their desperation, tried everything.

00:12:50.320 --> 00:12:55.039
They called the school, they went to the local police department and filed a report.

00:12:55.200 --> 00:13:05.919
They gathered hundreds of pages of text messages and screenshots, a massive file of evidence that was presented to Sheriff Michael Maine and his department.

00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:13.279
But the messages were coming from burner apps and massed phone numbers, making them impossible to trace.

00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:17.200
For 15 months, the bullying continued obsessively.

00:13:17.360 --> 00:13:22.080
The police were stumped, as one officer put it, the case felt like a dead end.

00:13:22.399 --> 00:13:26.080
The torment continued even after Lauren and Owen's relationship ended.

00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:30.799
This is a critical detail, one that dismantles the perpetrator's later defense.

00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:34.879
After the two broke up, Owen started dating another girl.

00:13:35.360 --> 00:13:37.120
But the bullying didn't stop.

00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:41.360
Instead, it shifted its focus, now targeting Owen's new girlfriend.

00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:44.480
The messages were just as vile and manipulative.

00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:51.679
It was about something far more insidious, a predatory fixation on controlling the lives of these kids.

00:13:52.000 --> 00:13:54.799
Now the police were making little progress.

00:13:55.039 --> 00:13:57.840
The school officials were at a loss too.

00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:04.320
They held meetings, they talked to students, but no one could or would admit to being the bully.

00:14:04.480 --> 00:14:09.679
The perpetrator was using a sophisticated mix of technology to remain anonymous.

00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:19.840
One of the key tools we now know was a messaging app called Pinger, which allowed them to send messages without revealing their actual phone number.

00:14:20.080 --> 00:14:28.000
They were also using VPNs or virtual private networks to mask their location and IP address.

00:14:28.240 --> 00:14:37.919
The combination of these tools created a digital ghost, a phantom tormentor that seemed to exist everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:40.159
That shit would be driving me nuts, man.

00:14:40.240 --> 00:14:44.320
Somebody texting my kid, my teenage girl, saying, kill yourself, bitch.

00:14:44.559 --> 00:14:47.200
You're worthless, you're ugly.

00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:50.639
I mean, somebody had to hate this girl at this point, is what I'd be thinking.

00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:54.320
I'd be looking at everybody like you're the one fucking sending those texts.

00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:54.799
I know it.

00:14:54.879 --> 00:14:55.360
You know what I mean?

00:14:55.440 --> 00:15:00.879
That'd be Yeah, and these children were young, 13, 14 years old.

00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:15.840
They had cell phones, they had social media, and I'm sorry, but my personal opinion is that's too young to have a cell phone or any type of social media whatsoever.

00:15:16.159 --> 00:15:35.360
So I think that the parents should have taken their phones, I mean, and waited a few years to even give them back because once if they would have took their phones, they wouldn't have been getting these messages.

00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:41.519
I mean, and then you have the parents being like, Well, why does my child have to suffer when they haven't done anything wrong?

00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:42.720
I get that side of it too.

00:15:42.799 --> 00:15:44.000
That's just my personal opinion.

00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:47.360
Could you imagine the rumor mill going around this small town?

00:15:47.600 --> 00:15:53.039
Like everybody had a fucking opinion on who was sending this shit, who was tormenting these kids.

00:15:53.279 --> 00:15:55.360
Oh, it was controlling the whole town.

00:15:55.519 --> 00:15:58.879
That's I bet that's the only thing the town talked about.

00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:04.320
You know, parents would share their thoughts and opinions with other parents.

00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:12.240
And I I'm sure it was like, oh my God, have you seen the new messages uh today after it all came out?

00:16:12.480 --> 00:16:13.840
Wonder what was sent today.

00:16:13.919 --> 00:16:15.519
It was the talk of the town.

00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:18.000
You know, they was like, I know this bitch is doing it.

00:16:18.159 --> 00:16:19.679
I know this bitch is doing it.

00:16:20.399 --> 00:16:22.159
They was pointing fingers every which way.

00:16:22.639 --> 00:16:27.120
Everybody looked like a porcupine, all the fingers digging out of it, pointing every which way.

00:16:27.360 --> 00:16:28.320
Exactly.

00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:31.279
But this is where the story takes a dramatic turn.

00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:36.320
The local police, realizing that they were out of their depth, reached out to the FBI.

00:16:36.559 --> 00:16:46.720
Special agent Peter was assigned to the case, and he brought with him a level of expertise and digital forensics that was far beyond what local law enforcement had to access.

00:16:46.960 --> 00:16:55.919
Peter's task was daunting to trace the anonymous messages back to their source, despite the layers of technology obscuring the actual source.

00:16:56.240 --> 00:17:06.160
Peter's investigation was a painstaking process of sifting through digital data, a massive haystack of information to find a single tiny needle.

00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:11.119
He began to trace the IP addresses associated with the Pinger app.

00:17:11.279 --> 00:17:19.279
The trail was difficult to follow as the VPNs were constantly changing the location of the IP addresses.

00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:33.200
But Peter, with his experience, was able to find a pattern, a common thread that linked the various IPs, and that common thread led back to a single reoccurring physical location.

00:17:33.599 --> 00:17:36.799
And here's where the story just shocked the shit out of me.

00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:41.359
The location that the FBI found was Lauren's home.

00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:48.880
The IP addresses, despite the constant shifts in masking, were consistently being routed through their Wi-Fi network.

00:17:49.039 --> 00:17:51.119
The evidence was irrefutable.

00:17:51.279 --> 00:17:53.680
The bully wasn't a rival or a stranger.

00:17:53.839 --> 00:17:56.799
The bully was Lauren's mother, Kendra Lakari.

00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:07.759
The police obtained a search warrant and on April 15th, 2022, they descended upon the Lacari residents to seize the electronic devices of everyone in the house.

00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:10.559
Now, that's wild.

00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:21.039
I could not bel I was shocked when it came out that it was her Lauren's own mother that was doing this.

00:18:21.440 --> 00:18:29.680
Now, Kendra Lacari had been in constant contact with the police and the FBI throughout this investigation.

00:18:29.920 --> 00:18:31.039
I'm sure she was.

00:18:31.359 --> 00:18:33.759
I guarantee she was inserting herself into the shit.

00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:36.400
I wonder if they if they're on to me and shit.

00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:44.799
She had faked concerned, offered help, and acted as a supportive parent, all while being the source of the torment.

00:18:45.119 --> 00:18:51.920
The deception was so complete, so all-encompassing that it was almost impossible to believe.

00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:57.920
The police had a hard time processing the truth, let alone the victims their self.

00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:01.599
I can't imagine how a mother could say that to her teenage daughter.

00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:03.119
I mean, over and over.

00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:07.920
Now let's let's explain how Kendra was acting.

00:19:08.160 --> 00:19:11.039
She was acting like the best mom in the world.

00:19:11.200 --> 00:19:13.279
Everybody thought that she was a good mom.

00:19:13.359 --> 00:19:21.200
She was the softball coach, she was the assistant basketball coach for like seventh or eighth grade.

00:19:21.680 --> 00:19:23.440
She did CTA fundraiser.

00:19:24.000 --> 00:19:29.200
She was involved in everything, everything, and always showed up for Lauren.

00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:36.000
So not a lot of people expected that it was gonna be her, but you know what?

00:19:36.160 --> 00:19:46.319
Some people in that town knew that Kendra was a liar, and they had their inklings that this may be her.

00:19:46.640 --> 00:19:53.839
I couldn't even like text or say kill yourself to any of our kids, even jokingly.

00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:57.920
Any kid, but especially our own kids, you know what I mean?

00:19:58.079 --> 00:19:59.359
That's fucked up.

00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:00.480
Very.

00:20:01.200 --> 00:20:10.480
We talk a lot about child abuse on this podcast, but I mean this is severe child abuse without even laying hands on the child.

00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:12.319
It's just insane to me.

00:20:12.480 --> 00:20:15.599
But with the evidence in hand, the police confronted Kendra Lakari.

00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:20.640
She was initially defiant, maintaining her innocence and claiming that she had been hacked.

00:20:20.799 --> 00:20:29.279
She told police that she had been suffering from mental health issues, including depression and anxiety, and that she was under a great deal of stress.

00:20:29.519 --> 00:20:34.640
She even went so far as to blame her past quote unquote sexual abuse as a contributing factor.

00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:38.960
But the police had the data, the irrefutable trail that led directly to her.

00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:42.000
There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide for Kendra.

00:20:42.240 --> 00:20:48.559
Faced with the mounting evidence, Kendra Lucari eventually broke down and confessed.

00:20:48.880 --> 00:20:52.799
But her confession was a distorted version of the truth.

00:20:52.960 --> 00:21:06.240
She claimed that she had been trying to quote get more information, end quote, on the first set of text messages in 2020 by acting as a go-between for Lauren and Owen.

00:21:06.400 --> 00:21:13.519
She said she was trying to build a rapport with her daughter and protect her from the alleged tormentor.

00:21:13.759 --> 00:21:22.079
It was an almost laughable defense, an attempt to turn herself into the hero of the story that she had created.

00:21:22.400 --> 00:21:25.680
But the truth was far more complex and far more sinister.

00:21:25.839 --> 00:21:33.039
We learned from the investigation that the time of her bullying, the Lacar family was under immense financial pressure.

00:21:33.279 --> 00:21:36.400
Kendra had lost her job at a major university.

00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:41.599
Their one story cabin was in foreclosure, and they had received an eviction notice.

00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:46.960
They were forced to live a transient life, moving from one temporary location to another.

00:21:47.200 --> 00:21:56.559
The stress of these financial and personal hardships may have contributed to her behavior, but it cannot, under any circumstances, excuse the heinousness of her actions.

00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:59.119
This wasn't a parent trying to protect her child.

00:21:59.279 --> 00:22:04.240
This was an adult using her child's pain as a means to a deeply disturbing end.

00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:12.079
Now, this is pretty much called the Munchausen by Internet Theory.

00:22:13.279 --> 00:22:18.079
We remember Gypsy Rose and her mom, Didi Blanchard.

00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:18.559
Right.

00:22:18.799 --> 00:22:20.240
Didn't she like pretend like her?

00:22:20.880 --> 00:22:22.960
Munchhausen by proxy.

00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:28.079
So she was making her daughter sick so that she could take her to the doctor.

00:22:28.240 --> 00:22:32.960
They would get all kinds of free stuff, go on Disney trips.

00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:39.119
She had everybody thinking that, you know, her daughter couldn't walk and things of that nature.

00:22:39.359 --> 00:22:42.720
But that's pretty much what this is.

00:22:42.880 --> 00:22:47.839
But by internet, it's a theory and it provides a chilling explanation for her behavior.

00:22:48.079 --> 00:22:58.079
This is a psychological condition where a person fakes or induces a crisis in another person in order to gain attention and sympathy.

00:22:58.319 --> 00:23:09.279
In this scenario, Kendra Lucari created a crisis for her daughter, the cyberbullying, in order to make herself the center of attention and appear as the hero.

00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:16.000
She would be the one to comfort Lauren, the one to go to the police, the one to fight the bully.

00:23:16.160 --> 00:23:20.000
She created a problem so she could be the one to benefit from it.

00:23:20.160 --> 00:23:31.839
It's a deeply pathological form of abuse, one that is not rooted in the desire to harm, but selfish and narcissistic need for validation.

00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:39.200
But I believe that this was rooted in some type of harm.

00:23:39.599 --> 00:23:40.559
How could it not be?

00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:43.680
I mean, the shit she was saying to this little girl, her own daughter.

00:23:43.839 --> 00:23:49.200
And the continuation of the bullying after Lauren and Owen broke up only further supports this theory.

00:23:49.440 --> 00:24:00.480
This proved that the campaign of terror was not only about Lauren, it was about control, about maintaining a state of chaos and drama, and about feeding her need for attention.

00:24:00.720 --> 00:24:06.880
Kendra's desire for chaos was so great that it didn't matter who the victim was as long as the game continued.

00:24:07.279 --> 00:24:12.880
The revelation of Kendra's identity sent shockwaves through the community.

00:24:13.039 --> 00:24:18.640
The betrayal was so profound, so unthinkable that people struggled to comprehend it.

00:24:18.880 --> 00:24:26.160
A mother, the very person who is supposed to be the embodiment of safety and security, was the one inflicting the pain.

00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:31.440
The psychological damage to Lauren and Owen must be immeasurable.

00:24:31.680 --> 00:24:36.400
How do you ever trust again after such a complete and utter betrayal?

00:24:36.799 --> 00:24:41.599
In a statement to the judge at her sentencing, Kendra Lakari expressed a hollow remorse.

00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:45.839
She said, I am sorry for my behavior to Owen McKinney and his family.

00:24:46.000 --> 00:24:49.359
I am sorry for my behavior to Chloe Wilson and her family.

00:24:49.519 --> 00:24:52.400
I am sorry to my daughter Lauren and my husband Sean.

00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:59.519
But the sincerity of her apology was called into question by her previous actions and the depth of her deception.

00:24:59.839 --> 00:25:04.480
The legal system, too, had to grapple with the uniqueness of this case.

00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:14.160
It wasn't just bullying, it was stalking using a commute computer to commit a crime and a complete abuse of a position of authority.

00:25:14.640 --> 00:25:21.920
Kendra ultimately pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking a minor and one count of using a computer to commit a crime.

00:25:22.079 --> 00:25:26.000
The plea deal was a grim admission of her guilt.

00:25:26.319 --> 00:25:33.279
The judge handed down a sentence that was meant to be as a deterrent and a just punishment for her actions.

00:25:33.519 --> 00:25:37.200
Kendra was sentenced to a minimum of 19 months in prison.

00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:43.119
The ruling sent a clear message that this type of profound and pathological abuse would not be tolerated.

00:25:43.279 --> 00:25:45.519
In the end, the family was torn apart.

00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:50.319
The marriage between Kendra and Sean Lakari dissolved, and the family was forever changed.

00:25:50.480 --> 00:25:57.039
Lauren has since moved in with her father, and the family is trying to move forward, but the emotional scars remain.

00:25:57.440 --> 00:26:09.920
This story serves as a cautionary tale, a stark reminder that the digital world can blur the lines between reality and fiction, and that a predator can sometimes be found in the most unexpected and trusted of places.

00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:38.640
I want to talk about some of the shit Kendra did, starting with the messages that were of a sexual nature, and very egregious, as they involved graphic sexual content directed at children as as young as 13, including suggestions of sexual acts, lewd propositions, and attempts to coerce the teens into sexual behavior.

00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:52.240
Now, examples of the inappropriate sexual messages are now these are verbatim or closely paraphrased from the messages Kendra sent.

00:26:53.200 --> 00:27:00.079
Now they were often sent in burst of forty to fifty per day, sometimes in group chats or directly to the victims.

00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:01.200
And here's one.

00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:05.200
BJs in making out.

00:27:05.359 --> 00:27:07.359
He don't want your sorry ass.

00:27:07.839 --> 00:27:17.680
This message was sent to Lauren, falsely claiming her boyfriend's sexual desires to pressure her into engaging in sexual activity with him.

00:27:18.000 --> 00:27:21.519
Another one was fucking trash, bitch.

00:27:21.599 --> 00:27:23.119
Don't fucking wear leggings.

00:27:23.200 --> 00:27:26.160
Ain't nobody want to see your anorexic flat ass.

00:27:26.319 --> 00:27:37.119
While primarily body shaming, this was part of a pattern of messages sexualizing Lauren's appearance, mocking her figure in a way that referenced her as a as sexually undesirable.

00:27:37.279 --> 00:27:42.319
It was sent repeatedly to exploit her insecurities about her body during puberty.

00:27:42.640 --> 00:27:48.400
Now, some of the messages were detailed sexual fantasies about Owen.

00:27:48.640 --> 00:27:57.519
Lucari sent messages describing explicit sexual acts she or others would perform with Owen.

00:27:57.759 --> 00:27:59.519
The thirteen-year-old boy.

00:27:59.759 --> 00:28:11.920
Examples included graphic propositions like sneaking out for sex, oral sex, and other intimate acts, often phrased to make her act upon or do those things.

00:28:13.119 --> 00:28:17.440
Example, he's DTF, down to fuck, and so are we.

00:28:17.680 --> 00:28:19.759
Sneak out or lose him.

00:28:20.160 --> 00:28:31.759
These were directed at both teens and even extended to Owen's later girlfriends and cousins with context like the sexual moves they do with him.

00:28:32.319 --> 00:28:35.039
So she's not even texting Lauren at this point.

00:28:35.119 --> 00:28:40.880
She's texting Owen's cousin, Owen's new girlfriend.

00:28:43.200 --> 00:28:50.240
Chloe that that they were all, I mean, Owen and Chloe were friends since they were little too, just like Lauren and Owen.

00:28:50.480 --> 00:28:57.440
So she was kind of trying to set this Chloe girl up, making it look like she was sending the text messages.

00:28:57.519 --> 00:29:11.920
So not only was she terrorizing Owen and Lauren, this poor Chloe girl went through hell with her parents and with, you know, probably friends of everybody, and there's certain cliques thinking that she was the one sending the shit.

00:29:12.640 --> 00:29:18.319
And it was her friends were not trusting her anymore because they were like, is she really doing this?

00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:39.119
I mean, it was so demented that in the messages that Kendra was sending, she was like setting this little girl Chloe up by saying, Oh, well, I got so many basketball points, and the only person with that many points that on that night of that game was Chloe.

00:29:40.400 --> 00:29:59.680
I mean, it we'll go into some other stuff she did to try to frame Chloe here in a little bit, but there were also coercive sexual messages or suggestions to Lauren, messages that urged Lauren to repair her relationship by having sex with Owen, such as Owen doesn't want you because you won't see.

00:30:00.160 --> 00:30:01.359
Sneak out for sex.

00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:02.480
He's ready.

00:30:02.559 --> 00:30:03.359
Why aren't you?

00:30:03.519 --> 00:30:14.720
These implied that sexual compliance was necessary for love while simultaneously threatening her into suicide or violence if she didn't do these things.

00:30:15.359 --> 00:30:23.440
She was even going to Lauren's coaches about the emotional damage these techs were doing to Lauren and you know how it's affecting her basketball game.

00:30:23.680 --> 00:30:28.319
They would offer solutions, but she never listened, and they would come back the next day.

00:30:28.480 --> 00:30:32.160
She would go back to him bitching about it the next day, like every day.

00:30:32.319 --> 00:30:32.720
Uh-huh.

00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:35.119
Like I wonder if she was doing it for attention.

00:30:35.519 --> 00:30:39.200
She she had to be doing it for attention.

00:30:39.279 --> 00:30:54.160
Now you gotta remember, she was the assistant coach of the younger girls, the middle school girls, basketball, but she would go to the high school coaches and be like, these text messages are just gonna throw Lauren's game off.

00:30:54.319 --> 00:31:09.200
And, you know, they were like, block the number, take her phone, you know, or get her a new phone number when she would never listen and then come back the next day crying and whining about what these messages were doing to her daughter.

00:31:09.359 --> 00:31:18.400
So she 100% knew exactly the emotional turmoil her daughter was in because it was affecting her her basketball game.

00:31:18.559 --> 00:31:24.640
I mean, how can you have fun and play sports when you have all this going on behind the scenes?

00:31:24.960 --> 00:31:31.440
And you don't know which set of eyes is watching you play basketball, and you're gonna get a text five minutes later and say, You suck at basketball.

00:31:31.519 --> 00:31:33.119
Why ain't you scoring any points?

00:31:33.359 --> 00:31:35.680
This fucking shit is mind-boggling to me.

00:31:35.920 --> 00:31:36.240
Mm-hmm.

00:31:36.400 --> 00:31:37.359
What else did she do?

00:31:37.519 --> 00:31:56.160
She would bring clothes to Lauren midday because she would say that the bully insulted what she was wearing, and then tell the kids she seen in the hallways why she was there, and then text other students, Lauren's friends, to go check on her in the bathroom because she was fucking crying about the text messages that she was fucking sending.

00:31:56.480 --> 00:32:14.240
Yeah, and she would know what Lauren's wearing to school that day, and she would intentionally dog on her or send her text message about what she was wearing or how she was wearing it, just to show up to the school and bring her different clothes.

00:32:14.400 --> 00:32:21.119
But why would you tell the other students or anybody in the hallway why you're there?

00:32:21.519 --> 00:32:23.359
No wonder this bitch didn't have no job.

00:32:23.440 --> 00:32:27.839
She had a full-time job fucking with these poor kids and her daughter.

00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:37.359
And speaking of her not having a job, she lied to her husband Sean for six months to a year after losing her job.

00:32:37.519 --> 00:32:40.160
She would pretend like she had a job.

00:32:40.319 --> 00:32:58.160
She would show up uh at the school or wherever she would be wearing her work clothes, you know, shirts that had the university's brand on it, and pretend she would pretend that she's taking calls from work while she was at home.

00:32:58.400 --> 00:33:02.720
I mean, completely a complete pathological liar.

00:33:03.200 --> 00:33:14.160
She said one time that their house that got foreclosed on, she was telling everybody it got hit by lightning and they had to come in.

00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:17.119
And she filed an insurance claim on that.

00:33:17.279 --> 00:33:19.519
So there's insurance fraud too.

00:33:19.759 --> 00:33:35.200
So after the kids broke up, Owen's parents had texted Kendra and told her that just because the kids split and weren't boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, that didn't mean they couldn't still hang out and get together because they were all friends.

00:33:35.440 --> 00:33:52.079
So we know that the text messages got worse after the breakup, which gave Kendra and Jill more reason to talk about and bond over the text messages and that the kids were getting and what they were going through.

00:33:52.559 --> 00:33:57.359
Kendra would even go to Owen's basketball games and take Lauren with her.

00:33:57.599 --> 00:34:06.559
She would then sit by Jill and force Lauren to show Jill the latest text messages that she had gotten.

00:34:06.720 --> 00:34:20.000
So like they could be best friends because they don't know where these messages are coming from, and they're getting together as a team and trying to figure out who's sending all these messages.

00:34:20.159 --> 00:34:29.599
And Kendra also convinced Jill that the texts were coming from Chloe, the classmate, where she had kind of set her up.

00:34:29.679 --> 00:34:41.760
She said Lauren's Snapchat account was hacked and accessed near the area of where the little girl Chloe lived.

00:34:42.000 --> 00:34:47.519
And then texts came from an area where Chloe's family was vacationing.

00:34:47.679 --> 00:34:56.159
So she was trying to set her up left and right to make it look like these texts were coming from this little girl that you said earlier.

00:34:56.320 --> 00:35:11.840
She would make fake Snapchat accounts and sent messages to and from the fake account pretending to be other classmates and would turn this in as evidence to the police.

00:35:12.000 --> 00:35:16.719
And they even brought Chloe and her parents in to talk.

00:35:16.800 --> 00:35:19.199
And she was like, I'm not doing this.

00:35:19.440 --> 00:35:20.480
She was in tears.

00:35:20.639 --> 00:35:24.159
She had no idea who was doing this either.

00:35:24.239 --> 00:35:27.760
And her parents were like, you know, this is not our daughter.

00:35:28.159 --> 00:35:29.920
Chloe's dad was a cop.

00:35:30.079 --> 00:35:35.280
I mean, he even plugged her phone into Cellbright and downloaded it, and there was nothing on it.

00:35:35.519 --> 00:35:40.880
It's weird how this shit was so satisfying to this chick, man.

00:35:41.599 --> 00:35:50.559
She was addicted to controlling the minds of these teens and making them think all of this horrible shit.

00:35:50.800 --> 00:35:57.519
Her mind had to be going like 10 million miles an hour, doing this tech shit, and then talking to all the people that she talked about.

00:35:57.679 --> 00:36:01.840
You got to keep in mind, people, we've only broke the ice on the text messages.

00:36:01.920 --> 00:36:03.760
There were tens of thousands.

00:36:04.000 --> 00:36:12.079
Yeah, there was a thousand pages of close to somewhere around a thousand pages of text messages with who knows how many text messages on each page.

00:36:12.320 --> 00:36:16.320
Yeah, and they weren't just text messages to Lauren or to Owen.

00:36:16.559 --> 00:36:25.760
She would make group chats with the other little kids in it and send these messages out like that.

00:36:26.000 --> 00:36:29.840
I mean, what was Kendra's real really what was in her mind?

00:36:30.079 --> 00:36:34.880
Because I I get the feeling that she was obsessed with Owen as well.

00:36:35.039 --> 00:36:50.639
And here's why I think that she Owen played baseball and he had this big tournament in Florida, and Kendra tried to go to Florida for quote unquote family vac vacation during Owen's tournaments.

00:36:50.960 --> 00:36:56.960
And Owen's family had to, you know, politely tell her, no, we're not doing that.

00:36:57.280 --> 00:37:06.079
Also, she would drive three hours across Michigan to go to some of his sports games.

00:37:06.320 --> 00:37:07.039
That's weird.

00:37:07.280 --> 00:37:07.920

Betrayal by Text: The Cyber Munchausen Case

Listen On

Recent Episodes