Two true-crime Netflix documentaries that shed light on the dark side of parenting
Not everyone has a picture-perfect family to begin with, and that’s just how unfair life is. Our definition of normal is not everyone’s normal, and if you give careful thought, our everyday life is many people’s dreams. In 2025, Netflix shed light on the dark side of parenting with two intense true-crime documentaries, helping raise awareness.
So, just in case you’ve not been appreciating life lately, you should watch Unknown Number: The High School Catfish and Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story, both by director Skye Borgman.
Starting with Unknown Number: The High School Catfish, the Netflix documentary tells the story of Beal City, Michigan, high school students Lauryn Licari and her former boyfriend, Owen, who became victims of relentless cyberbullying at only 13. In October 2020, Lauryn Licari and Owen began receiving alarming texts from an anonymous number, which resumed after a pause in September 2021.
The suspicious texts escalated into daily threats over the next 15 months, and what’s concerning is that the messages contained details that only someone close to Lauryn could know. When the parents and school officials reached out to law enforcement, a thorough investigation was led by Isabella County Sheriff Mike Main, followed by Bay City Police Officer Bradley Peter and the FBI stepping in.
And the real culprit was ultimately unmasked to be Kendra Licari, Lauryn’s mother. When asked about the reason behind Kendra Licari’s action, Borgman tells Tudum, “I don’t know that she really knows why she did it.”
As for Kendra’s own explanation, Borgman shares, “She does mention in the documentary an assault that happened [to her] when she was right around Lauryn’s age. She talks about how scary that was for her to see her only child, her little girl, growing up, and that’s what she really relates to, and that’s what she believes led her to sending these text messages and trying to keep Lauryn close.”
The second true-crime documentary that chilled viewers is Evil Influencer: The Jodi Hildebrandt Story, which revolves around the story of content creator Ruby Franke and family counsellor Jodi Hildebrandt, who met at their church community in Utah. Hildebrandt, founder of life-coaching company ConneXions, was a voice of importance within the Mormon church alongside that of Franke’s.
So, together, they began vlogging about Franke’s lifestyle raising six children with her then-husband, Kevin Franke, on the YouTube channel 8 Passengers. While Hildebrandt’s influence on Franke’s life was persistent, it soon led to their arrest on suspicion of child abuse against two of the latter’s children. The documentary opens with a security camera footage that reveals a frightened boy asking for food and water from a neighbour, urging them to take him to law enforcement.
After the subsequent investigation, it was revealed that the 12-year-old son of Ruby Franke was held captive with his 9-year-old sister, who escaped from Hildebrandt’s house. Both Ruby and Hildebrandt were eventually arrested. Although these could be a hard watch for several reasons, on the other hand, it’s also someone’s lived reality. So, be patient, try to reason, and raise awareness.