Man with amnesia who didn't know his own name after he was found beaten in a dumpster 11 YEARS ago finally finds out his true identity

  • The man was left for dead in a dumpster in Savannah in August 2004
  • He assumed the name Benjamin Kyle after being found at a Burger King
  • Doctors diagnosed him with retrograde amnesia
  • Kyle has lived a basic life for the last 11 years in Jacksonville, Florida
  • Genetic genealogists able to determine his identity after 2.5 years work
  • Kyle is originally from Indiana and is yet to reconnect with his family 

By Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: 13:53 EST, 16 September 2015 | Updated: 19:58 EST, 16 September 2015

A man who was found beaten and left for dead in a dumpster in Savannah with no name, age or memory has finally discovered his true identity.

The amnesiac has called himself Benjamin Kyle, or BK, since he was discovered in the Burger King dumpster, sunburned and severely injured, in August 2004.

He woke up in hospital with no recollection of what happened or his past and was diagnosed with retrograde amnesia, which is memory loss caused by injury or disease.

But after over 10 years of searching for answers, in which time he has lived mostly in Jackonsville, Florida, Kyle now has them, thanks to the work of a genetic genealogist.

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Reconnecting with the past: This man, who has been calling himself Benjamin Kyle for the last 11 years, has finally discovered his true identity after living as an amnesiac since he was beaten up in August 2004

The specialist, CeCe Moore, and her team say they spent two and a half years investigating Kyle's case by crosschecking his DNA with others in databases across the country, News 4 Jax reported.

Finally they made a match and were able to determine his name, birth date, home state and even his family's religion.

The genealogists were then able to use the information to find Kyle's family in Indiana, where he is from.

However Kyle says he is not ready to release his real name publicly because he is yet to reconnect with his long lost family.

'Evidently, I left Indiana in '76 and they have not seen me since then,' BK told the station.

'Of course we haven't been in communication. 

'They thought I was dead.' 

Professional: Genetic genealogist CeCe Moore says she spent two and a half years crosschecking Kyle's DNA with others in databases across the country before finally finding a match

Professional: Genetic genealogist CeCe Moore says she spent two and a half years crosschecking Kyle's DNA with others in databases across the country before finally finding a match

The genealogist, CeCe Moore, said she was shocked that law enforcement officials were not able to track down the date that she and her team did.

'The methodology we used to solve the Benjamin Kyle case was actually developed for adoption searches,' Moore told News 4 Jax.

'For people who wanted to ID their birth families. It's applicable to lost identity as well.'

'In fact, it really amazes me that law enforcement didn't solve this sooner,' Moore said. 

'We had his birth date. We had his home state. We had his family's religion. 

'How could this not have been solved? It took all this time, and thanks to genetic genealogy and DNA detective work, he finally has what should have been his for years.'

In recent years Kyle used the media and Facebook to try and help him find the information he need. 

He described the years not knowing who he was as hellish.

Without a social security number, Kyle was unable to work or even live in a homeless shelter.

No luck: Benjaman Kyle put images like these to a Facebook page hoping to discover his true identity

No luck: Benjaman Kyle put images like these to a Facebook page hoping to discover his true identity

ID: With the help of local news station News 4 Jax, Kyle was able to get identification in Florida a few years ago, but still knew nothing about his past

ID: With the help of local news station News 4 Jax, Kyle was able to get identification in Florida a few years ago, but still knew nothing about his past

'Sometimes, the last ten years has been just hell,' said BK. 'I think initially I was just stunned, literally stunned. I was not functioning. I couldn't even talk about it.'

Ten years ago, if I had known I'd have to go through the past ten years, I'd have just made up a Social Security number in the hospital.'

Four years ago, News4Jax helped BK connect with a state representative to get Benjamin Kyle a Florida Legacy ID.

Help: Kyle credits local Jackonsville business owner Josh Shrutt with turning his life around 

Help: Kyle credits local Jackonsville business owner Josh Shrutt with turning his life around 

After the story aired, a local man, Josh Shrutt, offered Kyle some work in his restaurant and a place to live.

'I don't know that there's any way I'll be able to repay them,' said BK. 

'I would like to!' 

 

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