Benjaman Kyle
Encyclopedia
Benjaman Kyle is the pseudonym
adopted by a man who has retrograde amnesia
, or possibly dissociative fugue
. He was discovered unconscious on August 31, 2004, in Richmond Hill, Georgia
and is believed to be about 60 years old. He is unable to obtain employment without a Social Security number
.
on August 31, 2004, a man now living under the name Benjaman Kyle was discovered behind a Burger King
at the intersection of Interstate 95
and Highway 17 in Richmond Hill, Georgia
. He was found by the managers of the restaurant, lying on the ground inside the stone wall enclosing the dumpsters, in a space between the dumpsters that is accessed by a walk-through used for trash disposal. The dumpster enclosure was behind the Burger King in an area hidden from view from all directions except from the restaurant parking lot. Prolonged exposure to the sun had left him sunburned. He was assumed homeless and taken to a hospital for treatment. Officers who searched the scene found no clothes or wallet to identify the man. According to the manager, there were no weapons found at the scene. Paramedics reported that there were three depressions in his head, that may indicate blows by a blunt object. When found, he had no memory of who he was, and did not even recognize his own face. He was legally blind with cataracts, indicating he may have been without medical care for some time before he was assaulted. Initially, he was known as BK because he was discovered on the premises of a Burger King. Since then, he has chosen to live under the name Benjaman Kyle and insists that his real first name is Benjaman.
and appears to be in his 50s or 60s. He is 5 in 11 in (1.8 m) tall and weighs 240 pounds (108.9 kg). He has graying hair with a receding hairline, and blue-green eyes. He is of above average intelligence
.
between October 2004 and January 2005. In August 2008, Kyle was evaluated by neuropsychologist
Dr. Jason A. King. King concluded that Kyle has dissociative amnesia, a form of mental illness.
as a child, including the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
, the Woolworth's
on the Circle, and the Indiana Theater showing movies in Cinerama
. He remembers Crown Hill Cemetery
, though not its name; the Scottish Rite Cathedral
; and the White River
when "it was mostly just a dumping ground." He also remembers grilled cheese sandwiches for a quarter and glasses of milk for a nickel at the Indiana State Fair
.
More specific memories place him in Indianapolis
between at least 1954 and 1963. The earlier date is based on his recognition of the Fountain Square Theater, but not the Granada Theater in the Fountain Square
area of town. The Granada closed in the mid 1950s. The later date is based on his recollections of a 2% retail sales tax that was enacted by the State of Indiana in 1963, and that the popular WLS
Chicago radio station disc jockey Dick Biondi
left the station that year over management issues.
Kyle also has memories of the area around the University of Colorado at Boulder
. He has detailed memories of the subscription the library has to Restaurants & Institutions
. He also remembers the Round the Corner Restaurant on the Hill, and the Flatirons and The Fox Theater near the Boulder campus. This places Kyle in the Denver-Boulder area in the late 1970s to early 1980s. In an interview with Channel 7 News in Denver, Kyle reported having memories of the controversy surrounding the construction of mass transit in Denver, at a time when the city still had no financing to proceed. Although the mass transit system in Denver went into operation in 1994, public debate over the construction of the system dates back to about 1980, consistent with the time period of the other memories that Kyle has about Denver and Boulder.
More specific memories of Boulder place Kyle there between 1976 and 1983. The earlier date is based on his memory that he arrived during the construction of the Pearl Street Mall
in the downtown area, and shortly after the Big Thompson Canyon flood that occurred on July 31-August 1, 1976. The later date is based on the year that the King Soopers grocery store chain merged with Kroger.
During an October 16, 2008 interview on the television show of Dr. Phil McGraw, he recollected some minor memories he has, such as having brothers, being 10 years older than Michael Jackson
(giving him a possible birth date of August 29, 1948), being around restaurant equipment, and that he attended a Catholic School
. Through hypnosis, he has recalled a partial Social Security number
3X5-44-XXXX, consistent with numbers assigned in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana during the 1960s.
Benjaman Kyle has an unusually detailed knowledge of restaurant operation and food preparation equipment, leading to the belief that he may have once worked in these industries.
As of July 2009, a search is being made by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA) for Kyle's Vietnam
draft registration, based on his birth date and his physical characteristics. When the draft was first implemented on December 1, 1969, Kyle's possible birth date of August 29, 1948 would have given him a priority number of 61. Because the highest draft number used that year was 195, were that his birthday, he would've been very likely called, though interviews with military investigators indicate that he almost certainly had never served. A search through lists of men who had draft exemptions is now underway.
Newspaper articles were published in the Boulder Daily Camera on July 5, 2009, and in the Denver Post on July 7, 2009. Based on Kyle's memories of the University of Colorado at Boulder
campus, it was hoped that someone would respond to the articles to identify him. As of September 2010, this has not happened.
Kyle has taken several DNA tests that offer clues to his origins. A genetic genealogy DNA test by Family Tree DNA produced a distant match with members of the Powell DNA Study. Based on these results, in March 2010 an almost perfect DNA match was discovered in the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation
database with a Davidson of Scottish ancestry, a grandson of Robert Holden Davidson (b. 1885 Logan, Utah
, d. 1946 Chico, California
). This Davidson's results are very different from other Davidsons who have been tested by the Davidson/Davison/Davisson Research DNA Study Project. The fact that Kyle has several weak matches to Powells, with a single strong match to a Davidson, indicates a possible non-paternity event
in the male line of his family — that is, an adoption, a name change, or an illegitimacy. It is surmised that his legal name might be Davidson, but that in past generations, the family name was originally Powell. A comparison of the whereabouts of the Powell and Davidson families revealed that members of both families were living in close proximity in the Pacific Northwest
in the early 1900s.
A geographical comparison between Kyle's Y-DNA results and the YHRD.org Y Users Group database shows a somewhat close match in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma, but the US coverage in this database is sparse and only includes Y-DNA haplotypes. A more comprehensive autosomal DNA test by 23andMe
relating to mixed-gender family lines reveals a large number of matches with ancestry in the western Carolinas, eastern Tennessee, northern Alabama, and northern Georgia. His closest autosomal DNA match is with a Perry from Newberry County, South Carolina who is estimated to be a third cousin. Other names that appears as close matches include Hooper, Parker and Davenport.
A major challenge exists in discovering who Kyle is because most records are keyed on an individual's name and Social Security number
, which in Kyle's case are unknown. Many records are kept in hard copy
format, making searching difficult. Many others that could be searched electronically on his birthdate are protected by privacy laws. The hope of identifying him rests on finding a DNA
match, or on attracting the attention of someone who recognizes him by his photograph.
In February of 2011, Benjaman moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Without a social security number, Benjaman was forced to live on the streets: rendering him both jobless and homeless. In March, Benjaman was the subject of a student documentary from Florida State University's Film School.The film, entitled "Finding Benjaman" was in part a biography on Benjaman's curious circumstances, and in part a call to action for local media groups and politicians. Through the outreach involved with the film, Kent Justice of News4Jax ran a series on Benjaman with the help of Florida Senator Mike Weinstein. Through Weinstein, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Benjaman was able to obtain a Legacy Identification Card, the first photo ID he's had since waking up in 2004. The news series also got the attention of a local business owner, who offered him a job washing dishes. Benjaman still works that job today, sleeping no longer in the woods, but in an air-conditioned shed through the good will of someone else who saw the story.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
adopted by a man who has retrograde amnesia
Retrograde amnesia
Retrograde amnesia is a loss of access to events that occurred, or information that was learned, before an injury or the onset of a disease....
, or possibly dissociative fugue
Fugue state
A fugue state, formally dissociative fugue or psychogenic fugue , is a rare psychiatric disorder characterized by reversible amnesia for personal identity, including the memories, personality and other identifying characteristics of individuality...
. He was discovered unconscious on August 31, 2004, in Richmond Hill, Georgia
Richmond Hill, Georgia
Richmond Hill is a city in Bryan County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,959 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Richmond Hill is located at ....
and is believed to be about 60 years old. He is unable to obtain employment without a Social Security number
Social Security number
In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
.
Discovery
Around 6:00 AM ESTEST
-Places:* Est , a town in Gelderland* Estonia, a nation in northern Europe** Estonian language, the Estonian language in ISO 639.2 or ISO 639–3 language codes* Est Region , one of Burkina Faso's 13 administrative regions...
on August 31, 2004, a man now living under the name Benjaman Kyle was discovered behind a Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
at the intersection of Interstate 95
Interstate 95
Interstate 95 is the main highway on the East Coast of the United States, running parallel to the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Florida and serving some of the most populated urban areas in the country, including Boston, Providence, New Haven, New York City, Newark, Philadelphia, Baltimore,...
and Highway 17 in Richmond Hill, Georgia
Richmond Hill, Georgia
Richmond Hill is a city in Bryan County, Georgia, United States. The population was 6,959 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Richmond Hill is located at ....
. He was found by the managers of the restaurant, lying on the ground inside the stone wall enclosing the dumpsters, in a space between the dumpsters that is accessed by a walk-through used for trash disposal. The dumpster enclosure was behind the Burger King in an area hidden from view from all directions except from the restaurant parking lot. Prolonged exposure to the sun had left him sunburned. He was assumed homeless and taken to a hospital for treatment. Officers who searched the scene found no clothes or wallet to identify the man. According to the manager, there were no weapons found at the scene. Paramedics reported that there were three depressions in his head, that may indicate blows by a blunt object. When found, he had no memory of who he was, and did not even recognize his own face. He was legally blind with cataracts, indicating he may have been without medical care for some time before he was assaulted. Initially, he was known as BK because he was discovered on the premises of a Burger King. Since then, he has chosen to live under the name Benjaman Kyle and insists that his real first name is Benjaman.
Appearance
Kyle is CaucasianWhite people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
and appears to be in his 50s or 60s. He is 5 in 11 in (1.8 m) tall and weighs 240 pounds (108.9 kg). He has graying hair with a receding hairline, and blue-green eyes. He is of above average intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in different ways, including the abilities for abstract thought, understanding, communication, reasoning, learning, planning, emotional intelligence and problem solving....
.
Medical condition
Kyle was treated for schizophreniaSchizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by a disintegration of thought processes and of emotional responsiveness. It most commonly manifests itself as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social...
between October 2004 and January 2005. In August 2008, Kyle was evaluated by neuropsychologist
Neuropsychology
Neuropsychology studies the structure and function of the brain related to specific psychological processes and behaviors. The term neuropsychology has been applied to lesion studies in humans and animals. It has also been applied to efforts to record electrical activity from individual cells in...
Dr. Jason A. King. King concluded that Kyle has dissociative amnesia, a form of mental illness.
Memories
Kyle has memories of IndianapolisIndianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
as a child, including the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument
Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Indianapolis)
The Indiana Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument is a tall neoclassical monument in the center of Indianapolis, Indiana that was designed by German architect Bruno Schmitz and completed in 1901....
, the Woolworth's
F. W. Woolworth Company
The F. W. Woolworth Company was a retail company that was one of the original American five-and-dime stores. The first successful Woolworth store was opened on July 18, 1879 by Frank Winfield Woolworth in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as "Woolworth's Great Five Cent Store"...
on the Circle, and the Indiana Theater showing movies in Cinerama
Cinerama
Cinerama is the trademarked name for a widescreen process which works by simultaneously projecting images from three synchronized 35 mm projectors onto a huge, deeply-curved screen, subtending 146° of arc. It is also the trademarked name for the corporation which was formed to market it...
. He remembers Crown Hill Cemetery
Crown Hill Cemetery
Crown Hill Cemetery, located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, is the third largest non-governmental cemetery in the United States at . It contains of paved road, over 150 species of trees and plants, over 185,000 graves, and services roughly 1,500 burials per year. It sits on the highest...
, though not its name; the Scottish Rite Cathedral
Scottish Rite Cathedral (Indianapolis, Indiana)
The Scottish Rite Cathedral is a historic building designed by architect George F. Schreiber, located in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It is owned by the Valley of Indianapolis Scottish Rite, an affiliated body of Freemasonry. It was built between 1927 and 1929 at the cost of...
; and the White River
White River (Indiana)
The White River is a two-forked river that flows through central and southern Indiana and is the main tributary to the Wabash River. Via the west fork, considered to be the main stem of the river by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names, the White River is long.-West Fork:The West Fork, long, is...
when "it was mostly just a dumping ground." He also remembers grilled cheese sandwiches for a quarter and glasses of milk for a nickel at the Indiana State Fair
Indiana State Fair
The Indiana State Fair is an annual fair held in Indianapolis, Indiana, usually in the month of August. The first fair was held in 1881 and the 2009 fair had the highest number of attendees at 973,902....
.
More specific memories place him in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
between at least 1954 and 1963. The earlier date is based on his recognition of the Fountain Square Theater, but not the Granada Theater in the Fountain Square
Fountain Square, Indianapolis
Fountain Square is one of six designated cultural districts in Indianapolis, Indiana.-History:In 1835, Calvin Fletcher and Nicholas McCarty purchased a farm in what would became the Fountain Square neighborhood. Although the earliest settlement was sparse and primarily residential, substantial...
area of town. The Granada closed in the mid 1950s. The later date is based on his recollections of a 2% retail sales tax that was enacted by the State of Indiana in 1963, and that the popular WLS
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
Chicago radio station disc jockey Dick Biondi
Dick Biondi
Dick Biondi is an American Top 40 and Oldies disc jockey. Calling himself "The Wild I-tralian", he was one of the original "screamers," known for his screaming delivery as well as his wild antics on the air and off. In a 1988 interview, Biondi related he had been fired 23 times; both fits of...
left the station that year over management issues.
Kyle also has memories of the area around the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
. He has detailed memories of the subscription the library has to Restaurants & Institutions
Restaurants & Institutions
Restaurants & Institutions was a trade publication and web site owned by Reed Business Information serving the information needs of foodservice professionals at chains, independent restaurants, hotels and institutions....
. He also remembers the Round the Corner Restaurant on the Hill, and the Flatirons and The Fox Theater near the Boulder campus. This places Kyle in the Denver-Boulder area in the late 1970s to early 1980s. In an interview with Channel 7 News in Denver, Kyle reported having memories of the controversy surrounding the construction of mass transit in Denver, at a time when the city still had no financing to proceed. Although the mass transit system in Denver went into operation in 1994, public debate over the construction of the system dates back to about 1980, consistent with the time period of the other memories that Kyle has about Denver and Boulder.
More specific memories of Boulder place Kyle there between 1976 and 1983. The earlier date is based on his memory that he arrived during the construction of the Pearl Street Mall
Pearl Street Mall
The Pearl Street Mall is a four block pedestrian mall in Boulder, Colorado...
in the downtown area, and shortly after the Big Thompson Canyon flood that occurred on July 31-August 1, 1976. The later date is based on the year that the King Soopers grocery store chain merged with Kroger.
During an October 16, 2008 interview on the television show of Dr. Phil McGraw, he recollected some minor memories he has, such as having brothers, being 10 years older than Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
(giving him a possible birth date of August 29, 1948), being around restaurant equipment, and that he attended a Catholic School
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
. Through hypnosis, he has recalled a partial Social Security number
Social Security number
In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
3X5-44-XXXX, consistent with numbers assigned in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana during the 1960s.
Benjaman Kyle has an unusually detailed knowledge of restaurant operation and food preparation equipment, leading to the belief that he may have once worked in these industries.
Search for identity
There have been major efforts to identify Kyle, but as of June 2009, none of them have been successful. These efforts have included:- Fingerprint comparison to the FBIFederal Bureau of InvestigationThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
's National Crime Information CenterNational Crime Information CenterThe National Crime Information Center is the United States' central database for tracking crime-related information. Since 1967, the NCIC has been maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Criminal Justice Information Services Division, and is interlinked with similar systems that each...
(NCIC) database of offenders - Fingerprint comparison to databases of military personnel and government workers
- A Y-DNA test through the Center for Human Identification at the University of North TexasUniversity of North TexasThe University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
, Denton, TexasDenton, TexasThe city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex... - A Y-DNA test for genetic genealogyGenetic genealogyGenetic genealogy is the application of genetics to traditional genealogy. Genetic genealogy involves the use of genealogical DNA testing to determine the level of genetic relationship between individuals.-History:...
through Family Tree DNA in Houston, TexasHouston, TexasHouston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ... - Autosomal DNA tests through 23andMe23andMe23andMe is a privately held personal genomics and biotechnology company based in Mountain View, California that is developing new methods and technologies that will enable consumers to understand their own genetic information...
in Mountain View, CaliforniaMountain View, California-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south... - Searches on Y-DNA online databases such as Ybase.org, Ysearch.org, usystrdatabase.org, smgf.org, and DNAAncestry.com
- Searches on mtDNA online databases such as mitosearch.org, EMPOP.org, and smgf.org
- An appearance on the Dr. PhilPhil McGrawPhillip Calvin McGraw best known as Dr. Phil, is an American television personality, author, former psychologist, and the host of the television show Dr. Phil, which debuted in 2002...
television program, October 16, 2008 - An interview on NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
's All Things ConsideredAll Things ConsideredAll Things Considered is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio. It was the first news program on NPR, and is broadcast live worldwide through several outlets...
radio broadcast September 5, 2010 - Feature articles in the Augusta ChronicleAugusta ChronicleThe Augusta Chronicle is the major daily newspaper of Augusta, Georgia and is one of the oldest newspapers in the United States. The paper is known for its coverage of the Masters Tournament, which is played in Augusta. Among locals, the paper is commonly referred to as "The AC"-History:The paper...
(September 25, 2007), the IndianapolisIndianapolisIndianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
Indy Star (April 27, 2009), the Boulder, ColoradoBoulder, ColoradoBoulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
Daily Camera (5 July 2009 and July 9, 2009), the Denver Post (July 7, 2009), the Wichita Eagle (August 1, 2009), The Orange County RegisterThe Orange County RegisterThe Orange County Register is a daily newspaper published in Santa Ana, California. The Register is the flagship publication of Freedom Communications, Inc., which publishes 28 daily newspapers, 23 weekly newspapers, Coast magazine, and several related Internet sites.The Register is notable for its...
(October 4, 2009 and October 7, 2009), the Idaho StatesmanIdaho StatesmanThe Idaho Statesman is a U.S. daily newspaper serving the Boise, Idaho metropolitan area. The paper has a circulation of 61,000 daily, 83,038 Sunday, and employs about 300 people. It is owned by The McClatchy Company....
(March 27, 2010), the Medford, OregonMedford, OregonMedford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...
Mail TribuneMail TribuneThe Mail Tribune is a seven-day daily newspaper based in Medford, Oregon, United States that serves Jackson County, Oregon, and adjacent areas of northern California....
(May 3, 2010), The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
in the UK (July 10, 2010), Transylvania County Times (March 3, 2011) - Television, radio and internet interviews: Channel 9 NEWS, the NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television network affiliate in Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
(July 6, 2009), Channel 7 News, the ABC television network affiliate in Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
(September 2, 2009), the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
World Service (August 6, 2010), National Public Radio's All Things Considered radio program (September 5, 2010), and AOL News on September 13, 2010 - Facial recognition comparison by the IndianaIndianaIndiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
Bureau of Motor Vehicles with individuals who have obtained an Indiana driver's licenseDriver's licenseA driver's license/licence , or driving licence is an official document which states that a person may operate a motorized vehicle, such as a motorcycle, car, truck or a bus, on a public roadway. Most U.S...
since 1998 - HypnosisHypnosisHypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
- Postings with missing person's networks
- Leads from individuals who seem to recognize Kyle from newspaper articles or online postings
As of July 2009, a search is being made by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
(VA) for Kyle's Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
draft registration, based on his birth date and his physical characteristics. When the draft was first implemented on December 1, 1969, Kyle's possible birth date of August 29, 1948 would have given him a priority number of 61. Because the highest draft number used that year was 195, were that his birthday, he would've been very likely called, though interviews with military investigators indicate that he almost certainly had never served. A search through lists of men who had draft exemptions is now underway.
Newspaper articles were published in the Boulder Daily Camera on July 5, 2009, and in the Denver Post on July 7, 2009. Based on Kyle's memories of the University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
campus, it was hoped that someone would respond to the articles to identify him. As of September 2010, this has not happened.
Kyle has taken several DNA tests that offer clues to his origins. A genetic genealogy DNA test by Family Tree DNA produced a distant match with members of the Powell DNA Study. Based on these results, in March 2010 an almost perfect DNA match was discovered in the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation
Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation
The Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation is an independent DNA and genealogical research institution with the goal of demonstrating how the peoples of the world are related...
database with a Davidson of Scottish ancestry, a grandson of Robert Holden Davidson (b. 1885 Logan, Utah
Logan, Utah
-Layout of the City:Logan's city grid originates from its Main and Center Street block, with Main Street running north and south, and Center east and west. Each block north, east, south, or west of the origin accumulates in additions of 100 , though some streets have non-numeric names...
, d. 1946 Chico, California
Chico, California
Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...
). This Davidson's results are very different from other Davidsons who have been tested by the Davidson/Davison/Davisson Research DNA Study Project. The fact that Kyle has several weak matches to Powells, with a single strong match to a Davidson, indicates a possible non-paternity event
Non-paternity event
Non-paternity event is a term in genetic genealogy and clinical genetics to describe the case where the biological father of a child is someone other than who it is presumed to be. The presumption may be either on the part of the presumed father or by the physician...
in the male line of his family — that is, an adoption, a name change, or an illegitimacy. It is surmised that his legal name might be Davidson, but that in past generations, the family name was originally Powell. A comparison of the whereabouts of the Powell and Davidson families revealed that members of both families were living in close proximity in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
in the early 1900s.
A geographical comparison between Kyle's Y-DNA results and the YHRD.org Y Users Group database shows a somewhat close match in southern Kansas and northern Oklahoma, but the US coverage in this database is sparse and only includes Y-DNA haplotypes. A more comprehensive autosomal DNA test by 23andMe
23andMe
23andMe is a privately held personal genomics and biotechnology company based in Mountain View, California that is developing new methods and technologies that will enable consumers to understand their own genetic information...
relating to mixed-gender family lines reveals a large number of matches with ancestry in the western Carolinas, eastern Tennessee, northern Alabama, and northern Georgia. His closest autosomal DNA match is with a Perry from Newberry County, South Carolina who is estimated to be a third cousin. Other names that appears as close matches include Hooper, Parker and Davenport.
A major challenge exists in discovering who Kyle is because most records are keyed on an individual's name and Social Security number
Social Security number
In the United States, a Social Security number is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary residents under section 205 of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to an individual by the Social Security Administration, an independent...
, which in Kyle's case are unknown. Many records are kept in hard copy
Hard copy
In information handling, a hard copy is a permanent reproduction, or copy, in the form of a physical object, of any media suitable for direct use by a person , of displayed or transmitted data...
format, making searching difficult. Many others that could be searched electronically on his birthdate are protected by privacy laws. The hope of identifying him rests on finding a DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
match, or on attracting the attention of someone who recognizes him by his photograph.
In February of 2011, Benjaman moved to Jacksonville, Florida. Without a social security number, Benjaman was forced to live on the streets: rendering him both jobless and homeless. In March, Benjaman was the subject of a student documentary from Florida State University's Film School.The film, entitled "Finding Benjaman" was in part a biography on Benjaman's curious circumstances, and in part a call to action for local media groups and politicians. Through the outreach involved with the film, Kent Justice of News4Jax ran a series on Benjaman with the help of Florida Senator Mike Weinstein. Through Weinstein, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Benjaman was able to obtain a Legacy Identification Card, the first photo ID he's had since waking up in 2004. The news series also got the attention of a local business owner, who offered him a job washing dishes. Benjaman still works that job today, sleeping no longer in the woods, but in an air-conditioned shed through the good will of someone else who saw the story.
External links
- "Amnesia Victim Needs Help with his Identity" | WSAV.com | 10/20/2008
- "5 Years Later, Still Few Clues To Identity" | WSAV.com | 10/19/08
- "Amnesia Victim Looking For Identity" | truveo
- "Man with amnesia still searching for his past" | Indy Star | 05/27/09
- "Search continues for amnesia victim" | Savannah Morning News | 8/23/2009
- "DNA detective solves genealogical mysteries" | CBS KCAL9 News, Orange Co., CA | 10/12/2009