A new docuseries from Investigation Discovery revisits the baffling case of Benjaman Kyle, a man found naked and unconscious behind a Burger King in Georgia in 2004, who claimed to have no memory of his identity. The four-part series, produced by Hot Snakes Media, suggests that the mystery may be darker than previously thought, linking him to unsolved cold cases and a Midwestern crime family.
Filmmakers Shannon and Eric Evangelista initially aimed to help the man recover his identity but uncovered inconsistencies in his story. In 2015, genetic genealogists identified him as William Burgess Powell, an Indiana man who went missing in 1976. However, the Evangelistas allege that Powell may never have suffered from amnesia and instead had ties to a notorious crime family in Lafayette, Indiana, and to George Keck, a suspect in the 1977 murder of Purdue student Kristine Kozik.
The case began on August 31, 2004, when a Burger King employee found a man behind the restaurant in Richmond Hill, Georgia. He was diagnosed with dissociative amnesia and later adopted the name Benjaman Kyle, believing his birth date was August 29, 1948. He had vague memories of Denver and Indiana but could not recall how he ended up in Georgia. His story gained national attention, including appearances on Dr. Phil.
After identification, Powell obtained legal ID and government assistance. But the Evangelistas continued investigating, taking Powell to Indiana to reunite with his brother and to Purdue University, where he had worked as a janitor. Witness accounts allegedly connect him to the crime family, suggesting his disappearance may have been a way to save his life. The series also examines Keck, who was investigated for several unsolved Indiana cases before his death in 2020.
