‘Unknown Number: The High School Catfish’ has Netflix viewers shook with jaw-dropping reveal: ‘Disgusting’

[CityKid]

Yep. If you want to take a documentary about true crime seriously it's probably better to watch something like 48 hours. Places like Netflix are still trying to tell the best story they can even if they are dealing with true events. Perfectly fine to watch Netflix documentaries. I sure do and many of them are really well done. But instead of taking everything it said literally it's probably better to start looking into it yourself instead of assuming Netflix was trying to be a 100% honest with you.

I always read up on a case before I watch it on Netflix. Sometimes it spoils the surprise, but I feel like I learn more from contemporaneous reporting.

 

[sony12]

I didn’t get the vibe or evidence that the father or daughter were involved at all.

It seems they called it a documentary, it was too short and left out a great deal of the story.
The mom developed fake profiles of kids at the high school on several social media platforms. What is brought out is that the mom, Kendra, is an attention seeker, had always been, and was jealous of her own daughter, and had a twisted relationship with the daughter’s boyfriend Owen. The number of text messages she sent was over 325,000!
It was like Munchausen Syndrome by proxy- the mom wanted the daughter to have issues so she would come to her for help, so she could be involved in her life.
Kendra needed to get her own life, she was like a mean girl at 15 who grows up to be jealous of her own child and can’t handle the success, popularity, and
She was goading her own daughter to kill herself, over a period of months, and months.
Annie Elise- Seriously

The FBI was involved and the mother went to jail and no contact with her daughter when she got out. If the father and daughter had been involved- the FBI would have figured that out, and it would have been mentioned.

IMO

You are buying the story that Netflix wants you to buy. Just watch other true crime documentaries on Netflix and then go talk to people who look into the cases in depth. 95% of them will tell you that that was the story that Netflix wanted you to believe and that they left all the things that go against that particular narrative out.

Watch Netflix documentaries for entertainment purposes but don't take them real seriously. Netflix is about viewership and most viewers don't really care about a 100% truthful documentary. They just care about being entertained.

 

[AngTxGal]

You are buying the story that Netflix wants you to buy. Just watch other true crime documentaries on Netflix and then go talk to people who look into the cases in depth. 95% of them will tell you that that was the story that Netflix wanted you to believe and that they left all the things that go against that particular narrative out.

Watch Netflix documentaries for entertainment purposes but don't take them real seriously. Netflix is about viewership and most viewers don't really care about a 100% truthful documentary. They just care about being entertained.

I don’t buy any story.. I stated my point of view after watching the documentary.
The parents of one of the girls stated explicitly that they thought the daughter and father were involved all along- so Netflix didn’t hide that. It was clearly stated that they were suspect.

So are you implying that Netflix is intentionally hiding the truth? So they have some kind of stake in keep the truth from true crime stories? Hmmm
Or there some conspiracy between Netflix and families who take part to not tell the story in a particular way? I’d expect that to be the case, the family was part of the documentary.

Of course they take creative license, and some people don’t have common sense.
This was not the first cyber bully case, it was known that the FBI could track down phone numbers and would eventually figure it out. Why Kendra didn’t know that- or was in denial? Who knows?
And then it went on for months before LE was involved? The parents decided not to call LE but let the school investigate? Even I know that is a poor choice if you actually are concerned for the well being and safety of a teen, and want results.

Or are you implying the FBI missed that the daughter and father were involved, complicit, and knew about it all along? And were great actor and actresses when the police arrived at the home?

Or is it that the family suspected?
Or did the family figure it out, but did not confront her?
Or did they confront her and she denied it? Or they didn’t know what to do.
My guess is it is one of these… and that Kendra was the main person doing it. And the father and daughter at some point figured it out.
It is also possible that Kendra took the fall- and the father and daughter were figuring it out.

Anyone who has the capacity to do such a thing is not the pillar of the community type, and many were suspecting Kendra from the beginning. She did something to lose her job as coach, and the prospects of another job.
If Kendra’s own family knew her, they knew she was capable, she likely was an attention seeking manipulator for decades. You don’t just wake up and become that way.

I don’t think any story is 100% truth, as truth is never 100% that simple it has many points of view.
I’ve spent all of 90 min on this case… am guessing more points of view will come out since the Netflix series and we will all learn more over time.

IMO

 

[AngTxGal]

WHAT?!?

The damage of a mother doing this to her daughter is life altering. The daughter says she wants to re-establish a relationship with her mom but I would urge her to go slowly with that and keep it shallow. Her mom is proven to be untrustworthy and has betrayed her already. Don't get close, would be my advice, and consider a complete cut-off.

jmopinion

I’m surprised an attorney hasn’t suggested a restraining order to help the daughter keep her mother away from her. At some point Kendra will be a grandmother- I would not want her around my children if I was Lauryn.
No way Kendra doesn’t have a history in manipulation and lies, she is a piece of work, and this wasn’t her first time tinkering in other people’s lives.
The text messages are sick- you don’t just wake up sick one morning and decide to do such a thing.
I’m surprised charges for being sexually explicit with minors wasn’t filed- the texts were vile and disgusting. Someone should now be an RSO due to the nature of the texts IMO.

IMO

 

[sony12]

I don’t buy any story.. I stated my point of view after watching the documentary.
The parents of one of the girls stated explicitly that they thought the daughter and father were involved all along- so Netflix didn’t hide that. It was clearly stated that they were suspect.

So are you implying that Netflix is intentionally hiding the truth? So they have some kind of stake in keep the truth from true crime stories? Hmmm
Or there some conspiracy between Netflix and families who take part to not tell the story in a particular way? I’d expect that to be the case, the family was part of the documentary.

Of course they take creative license, and some people don’t have common sense.
This was not the first cyber bully case, it was known that the FBI could track down phone numbers and would eventually figure it out. Why Kendra didn’t know that- or was in denial? Who knows?
And then it went on for months before LE was involved? The parents decided not to call LE but let the school investigate? Even I know that is a poor choice if you actually are concerned for the well being and safety of a teen, and want results.

Or are you implying the FBI missed that the daughter and father were involved, complicit, and knew about it all along? And were great actor and actresses when the police arrived at the home?

Or is it that the family suspected?
Or did the family figure it out, but did not confront her?
Or did they confront her and she denied it? Or they didn’t know what to do.
My guess is it is one of these… and that Kendra was the main person doing it. And the father and daughter at some point figured it out.
It is also possible that Kendra took the fall- and the father and daughter were figuring it out.

Anyone who has the capacity to do such a thing is not the pillar of the community type, and many were suspecting Kendra from the beginning. She did something to lose her job as coach, and the prospects of another job.
If Kendra’s own family knew her, they knew she was capable, she likely was an attention seeking manipulator for decades. You don’t just wake up and become that way.

I don’t think any story is 100% truth, as truth is never 100% that simple it has many points of view.
I’ve spent all of 90 min on this case… am guessing more points of view will come out since the Netflix series and we will all learn more over time.

IMO

I'm saying Netflix usually tries to find a particular narrative to go with. And will either edit the show in a way or completely avoid including things to not put focus on things that go against that narrative.

The recent zodiac killer documentary they did is a good reflection of this. They went with a specific narrative that a particular individual was the zodiac killer. If you go on zodiac threads on here though they will mention all kinds of things that go against the idea that the person the documentary was focusing on was zodiac. Things that the documentary never even brought up. The Netflix documentary only focused on things that made it look like that individual was almost certainly the killer.

 

[Gemmie]

This made me incredibly uneasy. Cannot believe a mother would do this to her own daughter!

I can believe a mother would do that after some on the threads I've read on this site.

 

[Inthedetails]

I'm saying Netflix usually tries to find a particular narrative to go with. And will either edit the show in a way or completely avoid including things to not put focus on things that go against that narrative.

The recent zodiac killer documentary they did is a good reflection of this. They went with a specific narrative that a particular individual was the zodiac killer. If you go on zodiac threads on here though they will mention all kinds of things that go against the idea that the person the documentary was focusing on was zodiac. Things that the documentary never even brought up. The Netflix documentary only focused on things that made it look like that individual was almost certainly the killer.

That is what storytelling is. Every storyteller, whether it's around the fire or in a documentary edits out some aspects of a story to focus on a particular storyline.

I understand the value of pointing out what might be missing in a story, but a story or factual documentary is not required to include absolutely everything. Presentations have a point of view. (If they didn't, they would overwhelming in detail and boring.)

Some audience members will notice and want to know more - or be upset details were left out. Others just want the basic idea, and if interested will seek more - or not.

But I do think the FBI sees the whole picture and isn't likely to be fooled.

jmopinion

 

[borndem]

Welcome to Websleuths,
lebvidox !!
​

 

[statt#1]

I watched this a couple weeks ago. I don't think even the best psychiatrist could figure this one out!

 

[borndem]

I can believe a mother would do that after some on the threads I've read on this site.

I can believe it, as well. There are some fu'd up folks in the world -- and this deal here may indeed be one of those. Hoping the daughter has someone who she can trust.

Some of us here are so fortunate to have/had good parents & grandparents, other good kinfolk, and good friends who are helpful, loyal, and just plain kind.

 

[airportwoman]

I wonder how many of these cyberbullying cases in which the bully turned out to be the victim's own parent(s), family member, or relative.

Probably quite a few of them.

Most identity theft cases are also between relatives, and nowadays, that's also a form of cyberbullying.

 

[Lisbeth_S]

I agree that there are probably significant parts of the story that have been left out (as someone said for storytelling purposes or viewership or even to protect some of the participants), although I don't know for sure.
At the end of the show I was left with a nagging feeling that something was amiss. I'm sure LE have it all though.

I was quite surprised that Kendra would even agree to being part of the documentary in the first place, and even more shocked at her demeanor. She gave almost a blasé vibe, tried to glance over stuff that would be incredibly heavy on anyone's conscience, and never actually explained how she came up with all the nasty and grossly inappropriate sexual stuff.
4 Cognitive Distortions in Netflix’s "High School Catfish"
I guess the narcissistic traits come out quite obviously in that she needed to be in the documentary to try and control the narrative. And Munchausen by proxy (or by internet in this case) has to be just a manifestation of that too.

I feel for Lauryn because regardless of what she knew or didn't know, she was certainly manipulated most of her life (and maybe still is).

MOO

 

[TDoc72]

I didn’t get the vibe or evidence that the father or daughter were involved at all.

It seems they called it a documentary, it was too short and left out a great deal of the story.
The mom developed fake profiles of kids at the high school on several social media platforms. What is brought out is that the mom, Kendra, is an attention seeker, had always been, and was jealous of her own daughter, and had a twisted relationship with the daughter’s boyfriend Owen. The number of text messages she sent was over 325,000!
It was like Munchausen Syndrome by proxy- the mom wanted the daughter to have issues so she would come to her for help, so she could be involved in her life.
Kendra needed to get her own life, she was like a mean girl at 15 who grows up to be jealous of her own child and can’t handle the success, popularity, and
She was goading her own daughter to kill herself, over a period of months, and months.
Annie Elise- Seriously

The FBI was involved and the mother went to jail and no contact with her daughter when she got out. If the father and daughter had been involved- the FBI would have figured that out, and it would have been mentioned.

IMO

I didn’t think the father or daughter were involved either.
I did read somewhere that people were starting to suspect Kendra and that was left out of the doc.
I did not like that one girl that was originally suspected or her parents. Her father was a cop and even told someone he thought it was her but now seems super mad that people suspected her. I just thought they came off really nasty.

 

[KSwizzle]

Don't really have an opinion on whether Netflix intentionally steered this documentary but I will say there are absolutely people like Sarah Boone and Lori Vallow, and tons of others both men and women who would do something like that and absolutely be apart of a documentary series as they unquestionably believe they always are correct

 

[sony12]

If there is one thing the documentary would likely not be including is the involvement of the daughter. It really seems unlikely that the daughter would have been as oblivious to what the mother was doing as the documentary makes it appear.

My guess would be that many of the messages were actually sent by the daughter and the mom is covering for her. Many of those messages sounded like something a teenager would say.

 

[Twick]

If there is one thing the documentary would likely not be including is the involvement of the daughter. It really seems unlikely that the daughter would have been as oblivious to what the mother was doing as the documentary makes it appear.

My guess would be that many of the messages were actually sent by the daughter and the mom is covering for her. Many of those messages sounded like something a teenager would say.

I think the mom is extremely immature and wanted to relive her teen years.

 

[tlcya]

I agree that there are probably significant parts of the story that have been left out (as someone said for storytelling purposes or viewership or even to protect some of the participants), although I don't know for sure.
At the end of the show I was left with a nagging feeling that something was amiss. I'm sure LE have it all though.

I was quite surprised that Kendra would even agree to being part of the documentary in the first place, and even more shocked at her demeanor. She gave almost a blasé vibe, tried to glance over stuff that would be incredibly heavy on anyone's conscience, and never actually explained how she came up with all the nasty and grossly inappropriate sexual stuff.
4 Cognitive Distortions in Netflix’s "High School Catfish"
I guess the narcissistic traits come out quite obviously in that she needed to be in the documentary to try and control the narrative. And Munchausen by proxy (or by internet in this case) has to be just a manifestation of that too.

I feel for Lauryn because regardless of what she knew or didn't know, she was certainly manipulated most of her life (and maybe still is).

MOO

I read somewhere (no clue as to the veracity of it) that Netflix had a completely different version of the docu-series because Kendra was not willing to participate initially. They made a lot of changes and re edited the entire thing once she agreed to participate and they shot her footage.

 

[Inthedetails]

I read somewhere (no clue as to the veracity of it) that Netflix had a completely different version of the docu-series because Kendra was not willing to participate initially. They made a lot of changes and re edited the entire thing once she agreed to participate and they shot her footage.

That's how the sausage is made.

jmopinion

 

[TDoc72]

Yeah, I’d like a true crime book with actual facts about this case and what exactly was really going on. Not whatever a doc wanted to show or ended up cutting.

 

[Twick]

If there is one thing the documentary would likely not be including is the involvement of the daughter. It really seems unlikely that the daughter would have been as oblivious to what the mother was doing as the documentary makes it appear.

My guess would be that many of the messages were actually sent by the daughter and the mom is covering for her. Many of those messages sounded like something a teenager would say.

Or by a very immature adult.