Benjaman Kyle has finally discovered his identity, but many questions still remain. (George Bureau of Investigation)
The mystery of Benjaman Kyle has finally been solved, but some people are still doubting the entire story. Eleven years ago, Kyle was beaten and left for dead outside of a Burger King in Georgia. He had no idea of who he was, just vague memories of his past, so he took on the name “Benjaman Kyle” (sometimes misspelled Benjamin) because it has the same initials as Burger King and he believed “Benjaman” might be his first name. His story was shared on national media time and time again, with no answers. He went to community sites like Reddit and Websleuths, only to have some people question whether the whole thing was a hoax. A genealogist, CeCe Moore, finally unraveled the mystery. But some people are still wondering what was true and what wasn’t.
Here’s what we know so far.
1. Benjaman Kyle Woke Up Beaten, Without Any Idea Who He Was
Benjaman Kyle had only distant memories of his past and no idea who he was. (Wikimedia Commons)
On August 31, 2004, Kyle was found behind a dumpster at a Burger King in Richmond Hill, Georgia, the Doe Network reported. He was beaten, naked, and covered in fire ant bites. Paramedics said he may have been hit on the head several times with a blunt object, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported. He didn’t have a wallet or any form of ID on him and he couldn’t remember his name, where he was from, or anything about himself. Doctors said he suffered from retrograde amnesia. His only memories were of recent events and vague memories of events from more than 20 years earlier, but nothing in between.
He was certain that at some point he had lived in Indianapolis, Indiana and in Boulder, Colorado, according to his Doe Network file. He had memories of a state fair in Indianapolis, a cemetery, and the downtown area as it had looked years before. He also remembered the University of Colorado library and a specific seat he used there, and a restaurant he frequently visited. His memories stop around the mid-1980s.
In addition to retaining a few distant memories, he also retained skills that may have provided clues to his past. Kyle believed that he may have worked in the restaurant industry because he knew how specific machines worked and how to fix a stove. He also thought he might have two or three brothers, according to the Doe Network.
2. His Story Was Shared Nationally, But No One Came Forward
Kyle’s story has been shared on national media time and time again, including on Dr. Phil in 2008 (shown above) and NPR, but no one came forward to identify him. His fingerprints didn’t reveal any matches in criminal or military databases. He had a screw from a past surgery on his left arm, but the screw didn’t have any unique identifiers on it.
His accent was identified as being from northern Indiana or Oklahoma. His DNA was closely matched with a group of people with the Powell surname who migrated from the eastern part of the U.S. to the Coffeyville area, but that didn’t mean his last name was Powell.
3. Some Online Communities Doubted His Claims
Photo: reallifeishorror: Benjaman Kyle, the man who has been without an identity for 11 years finally knows… http://t.co/lIwooDFUFE
In addition to sharing his story with national and local media, he also went to online communities like Reddit and Websleuths for help. He did two AMAs (Ask Me Anything) threads on Reddit, and some people criticized him for not responding fast enough to a few posters who claimed he might look familiar. A representative for Kyle said that he had responded through private messages, but they didn’t write him back. He did show some of his sense of humor in those Reddit conversations though. He mentioned that one of his memories was of a salad bar in Denver called Azar’s that had terrible service. Someone mentioned that the service had to be terrible for him to remember that detail and he responded: “They are a defunct chain. Out of business-I think that proves I was right about their service.”
Websleuths, meanwhile, reacted very negatively to Kyle’s story and decided that significant portions of his story were fake. The website owner even posted a thread claiming he was lying. She said she reviewed documents related to his case and talked to the local police department and found no evidence of a head injury or that he was beaten. She said it appeared that he had simply passed out by a dumpster. She said she would reopen the thread if he provided documentation to prove his claims, which was never sent to her.
Kyle disputed these claims in an interview with ABC News. He said that a lot of people might say he was lying and the whole thing was bogus, but what was he getting out of it? He wasn’t getting rich from it, he couldn’t make any long-term plans, and even getting an ID was difficult.
4. He Had a Falling Out With a Genealogist
Kyle also had a falling out with one of the genealogists who was working on his case, Colleen Fitzpatrick, to the point that he issued her a cease and desist letter that he shared on his Facebook page. He said that he had been working with her, but ended the relationship when he realized she locked him out of his own DNA accounts and only gave herself access. He spent several months trying to regain access, he said, while Fitzpatrick threatened his volunteers with lawsuits if they tried to figure out the DNA without her. Some of Fitzpatrick’s old blog posts can still be found on the Identifinders’ Blog, where she talks about her work with 23AndMe trying to figure out Kyle’s identity. Back in 2010, she wrote that he had 400 matches on 23AndMe, including a third cousin named Thomas Perry from South Carolina.
In June, Fitzpatrick posted on her blog that Kyle’s statements about her on his Facebook page, including the accusations he made in his cease and desist letter, were false. She said she had never hired a law firm or locked him out of his accounts, and that when he made accusations like that, people should keep in mind that he was an amnesiac who likely has an undiagnosed mental disorder. She said he never provided a name of her law firm nor did any volunteers come forward to confirm his claims. She added that all of this started after she did an interview with 11Alive in which she questioned whether he really wanted to discover his identity.
A different genealogist, CeCe Moore, helped him ultimately find his family.
5. DNA Tests Revealed That He Has Family in Indiana, But He’s Not Sharing His Identity Just Yet
CeCe Moore, a genealogist, finally unraveled the mystery. Many people over the years contributed their DNA profiles so genealogists could compare them to Kyle’s. Moore crosschecked his DNA with many databases and after two years discovered his full name, birth date, home state, and his family’s religion. She told News4Jax that she was surprised law enforcement hadn’t been able to figure this out years before.
Kyle’s family includes brothers who live in Indiana, he reported on his Facebook page. According to his family, Kyle left sometime in 1976 and they hadn’t heard from him since and thought he might be dead, News4Jax reported. This may be why they didn’t recognize him on national news nearly 30 years later and weren’t actively searching for him when he was identified. Some theorize that Kyle may have had a falling out with his family, while others, such as the neurologist with Dr. Phil, suggest that he may have suffered from a disassociative fugue state. According to National Geographic, which cites Kyle’s story, a fugue state is amnesia that can last for years and can manifest as the person forgetting parts of their identity and even assuming a completely new identity for years.
Kyle will be getting a new Florida ID card and his Social Security card. He has chosen not to reveal the identity of his family until he’s able to meet them in person.