The mystery of a 77-year-old man who says he has nearly no memories of his entire life is explored in 'The Many Lives of Benjaman Kyle'
Credit: Courtesy of Investigation Discovery
NEED TO KNOW
- A new docuseries revisits the mystery surrounding a man who went unidentified for more than a decade after he was discovered naked behind a Burger King in Georgia in 2004
- In an exclusive clip shared with PEOPLE, viewers watch “Benjaman Kyle,” who claims to suffer from a rare form of amnesia, attempt to piece together his forgotten past as producers grow increasingly uneasy about who he might really be
- The Many Lives of Benjaman Kyle premieres May 25 and 26 on Investigation Discovery, with episodes streaming on HBO Max
The mystery surrounding a man who could not be identified by himself or others for more than a decade is being explored in a new documentary.
In the upcoming four-part Investigation Discovery docuseries The Many Lives of Benjaman Kyle, premiering May 25, filmmakers Eric and Shannon Evangelista attempt to help a man known as “Benjaman Kyle,” who claimed to suffer from a rare form of amnesia after being discovered naked and injured behind a Burger King in Georgia in August 2004, piece together his forgotten past.
As the investigation unfolds, the man — later identified as William Burgess Powell in 2015 — becomes increasingly difficult to understand. Producers begin uncovering disturbing inconsistencies in his story, along with possible links to three cold cases and a connection to a powerful crime family in Lafayette, Ind., from where Powell disappeared in 1976, leaving his mother and brothers thinking he was dead. (Kyle hasn't been arrested or charged with any crime, nor does he appear to have any criminal record.)
In an exclusive clip shared with PEOPLE, viewers watch the story begin to unravel as the filmmakers grow uneasy about who Kyle may really be. “Initially, we really wanted to help Benjaman Kyle,” Shannon says in interview footage. “But the more we learned about him, the more that he started to get angry. He wants to control the flow of information.”
The clip then cuts to day 17 of the crew’s effort to help Kyle, now 77, recover his identity. While driving through the mountains of Colorado to a location Kyle claims to remember — the 20th of 23 memories he says he has from before "the mid-'80s" — producer Alexander Block asks why Kyle is laughing.
“Because I think these mountain roads take skill, and when flatlanders come up here and drive them, they don’t really have the skill. This road is very narrow,” Kyle says. “The car is almost scraping the cliff wall on the driver’s side, and on the passenger side, there’s no guardrails. You’re looking straight down a 200- or 300-foot drop.” When Block asks whether anyone would be available to help them in an emergency, Kyle simply laughs.
Credit: Courtesy of Investigation Discovery
After reaching their destination and walking up the mountain, Kyle points out the lack of cell phone service before remarking, “Yeah, if anyone wants to get rid of a body, this would be a good place to shove one off. It’d be years before they found it.” When Block appears visibly uncomfortable by the comment, Kyle laughs and kicks a rock down the mountain.
“This guy’s sense of humor is morbid,” Block later says over the phone. “This guy is starting to f— with us, and it’s making our crew uncomfortable.” Retired FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the New York Division, Ken Maxwell, also expresses concern after reviewing the footage. “I think it’s beyond bizarre,” he says. “The axe murderer comment. What he said in the cemetery. And also, ‘this would be a good place to dump a body.’ These are comments that ordinary people just don’t make.”
The tension escalates further when, during a phone call with Shannon about Kyle’s “really weird” behavior, Block receives a call from his hotel’s front desk informing him that Kyle is requesting a key to his room. “Please don’t give him a key,” Block responds.
Credit: Courtesy of Investigation Discovery
The clip ends with Shannon asking, “Why is he trying to get in your room?” Block replies, “I have no idea.”
The Many Lives of Benjaman Kyle premieres May 25 and May 26 on Investigation Discovery, with episodes streaming on HBO Max.
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