Restricted Caller: From Death Threats to Constant Spying; the Chilling Case of the Washington State Phone Stalker
In 2007, a family in Washington State was the victim of a non-stop campaign of harassment and psychological terror from an individual they called "Restricted"
Background
It sounds like a scene straight from the movie Scream: a teenage girl answers her cell phone only to be told by the caller what she is wearing and doing at that exact moment.
Even more terrifying, the anonymous caller is threatening extreme violence against her and her family. Unfortunately for 16-year-old Courtney Kuykendall and her family, this was no movie; rather, it was the beginning of an extended nightmare of terror and harassment.
Somebody’s Watching
The Kuykendall’s ordeal began in 2007 in Fincrest, Washington. Things started to get strange when several of Courtney’s friends received a text from her phone number that simply read “gay.” Unsure why they had received this text, her friends asked Courtney about it.
Courtney told them that she didn’t know what they were talking about and had never sent the texts.
Soon after, things would go from strange to downright frightening as Courtney and other members of the Kuykendall family began to receive harassing and threatening phone calls and texts.
The unknown caller threatened the family with physical harm and sexual violence, even threatening to kill Courtney’s grandparents and the family’s pets.
Disturbingly, most of the calls and texts seemed to come from Courtney’s phone number, even when her phone was turned off! Not understanding what was happening, at one point, the Kuykendall’s confiscated her phone for a time, yet the menacing texts and calls continued.
Threatening phone calls and texts were sent to all of the Kuykendalls at all hours of the day and night. Threats like, “We hate you, we’re going to murder you,” were routine.
Perhaps even more chilling, the caller(s) would leave voicemails, which were recordings of family members having conversations with one another. The ongoing fear and anxiety weighed heavily on the family.
Restricted
The family began referring to the stalker as ‘Restricted’ because that was what appeared on their Caller ID every time they received a call from them.
The calls came on the family’s landline as well as their individual cell phones. The stalker seemed to have an intimate knowledge of the family and their daily routines. When the family got new cell phones with new phone numbers, the calls continued as if nothing had changed.
One day, when they purchased a new security system for their home, the received a call from the stalker letting the family know that he/they already had the code.
On one chilling occasion, the family returned home after meeting with law enforcement to discuss the ongoing harassment, only to be greeted with a voicemail of the family’s recorded conversation with detectives.
Interestingly, the campaign of fear and harassment also extended to two other families with connections to the Kuykendalls.
Darci Price, who was Courtney’s married older sister, also became a victim of the ongoing abuse. The other victim, Andrea McKay, was a neighbor of the Kuykendalls.
On one occasion, McKay was in her kitchen cutting limes when she received a call. The caller simply said, “I prefer lemons.”
Investigation
The authorities were at a loss to explain, let alone prevent the continuing psychological abuse. The victims’ phones would turn on and off seemingly by themselves, and ringtones would be changed or added without warning.
The local police and phone service providers were stumped. A Sprint spokesman commented on the situation:
“We are unaware of any technology that would allow the activity that’s being reported here. We are partnering with law enforcement to investigate. We’re not exactly sure what is being done to these phones.”
Though technology was certainly not as advanced in 2007 as it is today, electronic surveillance experts indicated that this sort of remote harassment or phone “spoofing” was possible at the time.
Finally, after nearly four months of non-stop threats and harassment, the calls stopped. Authorities, as well as the Kuykendall family, were left to wonder what happened.
The end of the calls seemed to come around the same time that the FBI picked up the case.
Explanation?
Theories and possible explanations for the incidents have ranged from an elaborate hoax perpetrated by Courtney Kuykendall or other family members to one or more of her friends playing a “prank” to an obsessed stalker.
According to the family, some of the threats and language used sounded very juvenile, the sorts of things that a teenager trying to sound edgy may say. This led some to believe the stalker may have been a teenage boy familiar with Courtney and her family.
Courtney Kuykendall, as well as all of the other victims in this case, has steadfastly denied any involvement in these disturbing incidents.
Sources:
McConnell, Kelsey. “Restricted: A Cell Phone Stalker's Relentless Reign of Terror.” The Lineup, 27 January 2022, https://the-line-up.com/cell-phone-stalker
“Cell Phone Stalkers Harass Washington Family.” ABC News, 9 February 2009, https://abcnews.go.com/TheLaw/story?id=3312813&page=1
Henley, Nicole. “The Kuykendall Family Phone-Stalker Mystery.” Medium, 21 May 2019, https://medium.com/of-misdeeds-and-mysteries/the-kuykendall-family-phone-stalker-myster