A new documentary series is coming to Investigation Discovery, revisiting the strange case of Benjaman Kyle, a man found naked behind a Burger King in rural Georgia in 2004 with no memory of who he was. The case fascinated the public for years, but new evidence now suggests the mystery may be much darker than anyone thought.
William Powell, who had been going by the name Benjamin Kyle, was found unconscious and naked behind a Burger King in Richmond Hill, Georgia, on August 31, 2004. He claimed to have amnesia and said he had no memory of his identity, his past, or how he ended up there. For nearly 30 years, he relied on strangers, doctors, and documentary filmmakers to help piece together a past he said he could not remember, until he was finally identified in 2015.
The documentary series, The Many Lives of Benjaman Kyle, suggests that Powell may have had ties to a notorious crime family in Lafayette, Indiana, and to a man named George Keck, who was once looked at in connection with the 1977 killing of Purdue University student Kristine Kozik. Filmmakers Shannon and Eric Evangelista originally set out to help Powell find his identity, reports The Independent.
The documentary uncovers a possible crime family connection and a suspect who knew more than he admitted
Several witnesses allegedly claim that Powell is connected to a powerful crime family in Lafayette, Indiana, and that his disappearance may have been a way of saving his own life. Part of the series focuses on George Keck, who investigators examined for years in connection with several unsolved Indiana cases before his death in 2020.
Shannon Evangelista interviewed Keck on camera about what he knew about Powell. Both Powell and Keck had worked as janitors at Purdue at the time of Kozik’s disappearance. Her body was found two miles from a place called The Bar, which Evangelista claims was a gathering spot for the crime family.
“It’s not the most comfortable thing knowing I’m going to speak with the prime suspect, whose wife said he did it,” Evangelista says in the documentary. “I’ll do it but I’m not happy about it. I hope I don’t end up in a ditch.” Georgia has seen its share of shocking local scandals, including a case where a Georgia teacher caught in a disturbing school closet scandal made headlines across the state.
During the interview, Keck made a striking admission about Kozik’s death. “On that one there, in fact, they wanted me as a suspect, and I failed a lie detector because I did know more than I was letting on,” he told Evangelista. “I knew she was killed accidentally because I was told straight from the horse’s mouth.”
The series also covers several other cold cases in the Lafayette area that Evangelista has worked to bring back to light, though no one has been charged in any of them. Unexpected tragedies tied to seemingly harmless situations are not unheard of, as seen in the story of a Georgia teacher who died after a student prank went terribly wrong. Evangelista says big questions about Powell still remain.
“Because he was not himself and lived off the grid between 1981 and 2004,” she said. “I know why he left and why he fled. I know where he went for the most part but I don’t know who he was and what he was like and I want to know all of it.”
Powell, now 77 years old, has not been charged in connection with any of the crimes discussed in the documentary. He has cut off communication with the filmmakers and investigators, making it harder to get answers. “He thinks I’ve given up. I’m not giving up. I know too much,” Evangelista said.
“If we stop, he wins,” she added. “We can’t give up.” The Many Lives of Benjaman Kyle premieres May 25 and May 26, going beyond the original medical mystery and into what the filmmakers describe as a web of deception, unsolved cold cases, and alleged ties to organized crime.
Published: May 25, 2026 01:15 pm