Unmasking the Unthinkable: A Mother’s Cyberbullying of Her Teen Daughter
A mother engaged in a year-long anonymous online harassment campaign targeting her teenage daughter. The case became public after an investigation revealed the source of the messages.
Kendra Gayle Licari, a Michigan resident, was accused of using fake online identities and youth-oriented slang to send hostile messages to her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend. The situation drew attention due to the unusual nature of the relationship between victim and perpetrator.
Beal City Public Schools became involved early in the investigation. When school officials were unable to determine the source of the harassment, they contacted law enforcement. The FBI later traced the messages back to Licari’s devices, discovering hundreds of pages of messages. Licari was arrested on December 12, 2022, and charged with multiple offenses.
According to a 2022 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, less than 5 percent of cyberbullying cases involve family members. However, those cases may result in more complex emotional and psychological consequences due to the nature of the relationship. Victims in such cases may experience difficulty seeking help, especially if the perpetrator holds a position of trust or authority in the household.
Cyberbullying is often framed as a peer-based or anonymous external threat. This case presents an exception that challenges that assumption. Investigators noted that the use of anonymous accounts and digital platforms made detection more difficult, despite the proximity of the individuals involved.
As digital communication becomes more integrated into daily life, the boundaries between public and private spaces continue to blur. The Licari case demonstrates that cyberbullying can take place within the family, using the same tools often associated with school-based or social-media harassment.
While rare, cases involving intra-family cyberbullying highlight the need for broader definitions, updated prevention models, and investigative strategies that consider both external and internal sources of harm in digital environments.