An injured and naked man was found behind a Burger King outlet in Georgia in 2004, sparking a mystery that puzzled investigators and people. Now, HBO Max is revisiting the curious story of Benjaman Kyle and the long search to find his real identity.
The four-part documentary series explores the life of the man once known as “Burger King Doe” and the shocking discoveries made while tracing his forgotten past. Here are five things to know about Benjaman Kyle ahead of the documentary’s release.
1. Kyle was found naked behind a Burger King in 2004
On August 31, 2004, employees at Burger King in Richmond Hill, Georgia, discovered an injured man lying naked behind the restaurant. He had severe sunburn, ant bites and signs of head trauma, but no identification or personal belongings.
2. He suffered from a rare form of dissociative amnesia
Doctors and psychologists later concluded that Kyle was suffering from dissociative amnesia, a rare condition that caused him to lose almost all memories connected to his identity and past life.
3. His real identity was finally discovered in 2015
After more than a decade of investigations and genetic genealogy research, Kyle’s identity was officially confirmed in 2015 as William Burgess Powell, a man born in Indiana on August 29, 1948.
4. The HBO Max docuseries revisits unanswered questions
The upcoming documentary series The Many Lives of Benjaman Kyle follows filmmakers Eric and Shannon Evangelista as they attempt to further investigate Powell’s past.
5. Where is Benjaman Kyle now?
As of 2026, William Burgess Powell, who is still widely known as Benjaman Kyle, appears to be living a relatively private life away from national media attention in or around Lafayette, Indiana.
