Theories on what may have happened to Benjaman Kyle

BeavisMom62 said:

Those are good thoughts Boyz. I also posted on the Dr. Phil thread, that I used to live in Savannah and Richmond Hill wasn't far away, but in addition to St. Simons and Hilton Head, which are quite aways away, if you lived in Savannah or Richmond Hill and wanted to go to the beach, you would go to Tybee Island, which is alot closer. (O/T Nasty water there, its all brownish green. When I moved from GA to FL, I couldn't believe the difference in the ocean water. Here in FL its greenish blue).

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Thanks for telling some information about the different destinations nearby. I looked all over the web for missing businessmen, missing vacationers, etc... and didn't find anything that jumped out at me. Is there an airport in Savannah?

BK's story is intriguing, that's for sure!

I posted this on another thread and thought I would post here, as well....

Do we know, when he was found behind the dumpster, if his hair was short or long? If he was clean or dirty? If he was abnormally thin or a bit over weight? If he had an overgrown beard and/or mustache? If a clean cut business man in town on a business trip is beaten and left next to a dumpster I believe the first responders would not have mistaken him for a homeless man (regardless of him being naked, covered in fire ant bites, etc.) If he had many stereotypical characteristics of a man living on the streets (long unkept hair, long beard, unclean, etc.) than I tend to believe they would. Unfortunately there are some very, very intelligent people who end up homeless due to severe psychological problems. Amnesia caused by a "traumatic event" might qualify. He might have been a homeless man for years (?)

Some random thoughts....

(I also posted this on another thread, as well....)
If he was a single man, parents deceased and had been in the process of moving cities and jobs he wouldn't necessarily be missed if he didn't show up to a new apartment/new job as those things happen a lot and his old friends or acquaintences might not think it odd if they didn't hear from him, perhaps thinking he was too busy to stay in contact.

If he had an apartment where he was living and he was behind on the rent it wouldn't be unheard of for an apartment manager to assume the apartment was abandoned and auction his things or throw them away. I worked as a leasing agent at an apartment years and years ago as a teenager and people would skip out in the middle of the night and leave everything they owned. I thought it odd but I guess people do it quite frequently. His mail would be returned to the post office (which occurs all the time and pretty soon no more mail would come.) If he left his car at the airport it would have been towed and then auctioned by the tow yard (which occurs a lot in that business. Of course, they are more concerned with recouping their tow and store fee than worrying about why a car was abandoned.)

People abandon their jobs all of the time without a word to anyone. Most employers have something in their handbook about what constitutes job abandonment because it does occurs. If he didn't have a lot of very close friends at work, or had just switched jobs and wasn't really known too well, he might not have been missed if he just didn't show back to work again.

What type of traumatic event would cause such an amnesia to occur in a 50-60 year old man? I imagine it would have to be more than just the death of a parent. Since his memory is of when he was a lot younger, perhaps the traumatic event occured then and he has been homeless for 20-30 years since the amnesia hit and this occurance may have "snapped him out of it" to some extent (don't even know if something like that is possible...?)

Has he asked the doctor that did his surgery on his eyes about the type of cataracts he had? IMHO Finding that out is crucial. From what I understand he was behind the dumpster for less than 24 hours and maybe even 12 or less (?) as there was some mention in the Dr. Phil show that he couldn't have been there very long as the previous manager would have found him when he took the trash out earier. Seems to me to be a pretty easy phone call to make and might shed a lot of light on his situation. (Frustrating to have so little information to go on!) If they were progressive and not from the Burger King incident or something that had occured relatively close to the Burger King incident than I think he was more than likely homeless (other people have pointed out that he could have/ would have gotten the surgery to correct it if he was a functioning person in society, which I tend to agree with them on.)

Is there any more information than the tiny little bit we have here? Police report? medical report of injuries he had when treated the first day? Picture of him from closer to the time he was found?

Boyz_Mum said:

Thanks for telling some information about the different destinations nearby. I looked all over the web for missing businessmen, missing vacationers, etc... and didn't find anything that jumped out at me. Is there an airport in Savannah?

BK's story is intriguing, that's for sure!

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You know for the life of me I can't remember?! I'm pretty sure there is, but I can't picture it in my head. It probably wouldn't have anything to do with BK, but there is an airfield, which is military. I was stationed there, Hunter Army Airfield, which is where the Airborne soldiers train (I wasn't airborne, I was a medic). I wasl also stationed at a sister military base, Fort Stewart, in Hinesville GA, which is about an hour away. IIRC, Richmond Hill is between Savannah and Hinesville.

I feel that there are those out there that suspect they know BK but for some unknown reason will not come forward. I can not convince myself that someone watching the show did not see some similaries to some one they haven't seen in a long time or who is missing.

I think 48 mysteries should do the case to get more media exposure. BK just didn't fall out of the sky.

Bk had a life before this. It should have had co-workers, friends, family, distant relatives, prior school mates, neighbors, prior landlords, etc. On an hour long show someone watching should have suspected him of being someone they knew once upon a time even if his looks have changed.

I think someone is not coming forward.

fox1950 said:

I feel that there are those out there that suspect they know BK but for some unknown reason will not come forward. I can not convince myself that someone watching the show did not see some similaries to some one they haven't seen in a long time or who is missing.

I think 48 mysteries should do the case to get more media exposure. BK just didn't fall out of the sky.

Bk had a life before this. It should have had co-workers, friends, family, distant relatives, prior school mates, neighbors, prior landlords, etc. On an hour long show someone watching should have suspected him of being someone they knew once upon a time even if his looks have changed.

I think someone is not coming forward.

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The question is why...

Summing up some of this discussion- it is very possible that Mr. Kyle does not have a large extended family that is close knit for sure, because he would have been looked for by now.

He thinks he has brothers perhaps-but he is somewhat of a loner...independent and self sufficient is how he feels. What kinds of attachments would he form as an adult if he was reasonably mobile in his job and preferred to be somewhat solitary?

But I so agree that there are coworkers and acquaintances out there who are saying "Hm I wonder where XYZ went off too..." or an employer...or clients.

Someone must have known that Benjaman traveled from potentially Denver or the surrounding area to Savannah or the surrounding area to look at the beach. If that was indeed a destination, and not an offshoot of a business trip.

One of the theories some of us worked on was that he was a hurricane victim from FL who was running from the storms-I believe Bonnie and Charley hit within 24 hours of one another in August of that year. There are still people missing from that onslaught-I was unsuccessful in getting a list from the Red Cross of anyone who was listed as missing however. The devestation was TERRIBLE in FL and lets say for example BK was one of the ones who lived in Punta Gorda (IIRC)-the trauma of the storms and being subsequently assaulted might cause amnesia in anyone!!!

That being said, his statement on Dr Phil about looking for the ocean, which is common from someone being raised or living in the landlocked west, right, would remove the above theory from being possible???

"He thinks he has brothers perhaps-but he is somewhat of a loner...independent and self sufficient is how he feels. What kinds of attachments would he form as an adult if he was reasonably mobile in his job and preferred to be somewhat solitary?"

I don't think that this has anything to do with BK, but your statement reminds me of my son. He is a loner and prefers to be solitary and is mobile in his job. He is a truck driver! I don't think that this is anywhere in BK's memories, though, huh? But it would fit.

BeavisMom62 said:

"He thinks he has brothers perhaps-but he is somewhat of a loner...independent and self sufficient is how he feels. What kinds of attachments would he form as an adult if he was reasonably mobile in his job and preferred to be somewhat solitary?"

I don't think that this has anything to do with BK, but your statement reminds me of my son. He is a loner and prefers to be solitary and is mobile in his job. He is a truck driver! I don't think that this is anywhere in BK's memories, though, huh? But it would fit.

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You are right-it would. Any independent truckers out there who can tell us if, let's say for example, you owned your own rig and contracted jobs, who would notice you if you went missing outside of family??

I came away from watching Dr Phil with impressions.. and more questions than I did have..

I find it unusual that BK has memories relating to childhood, but the issue of his adult memories was not really touched upon, IMO. I wonder if he was extremely resistant to discussing his adult life, or if the therapist in Atlanta discouraged this on air? I suspect both play into the lack of discussion about what his life may have been up until the day he was found in Savannah. I believe he does have impressions and some fragments of memories. They may be extremely uncomfortable for him at this time.
If he remembers things from childhood, it is not hard to imagine that with the right type of guided therapy, he will remember his adulthood. Things which matter, not a statement about wanting to visit the coast.

If he does not have amnesia caused by brain trauma, which is what the experts are saying based not only on his brain scans, but also on cognitive function tests, then I believe them.
He is repressing memories, which is a very strong defense mechanism.

As they touched upon on the Dr. Phil show, the ability to remember is intact. BK is not consciously using the memory area of his brain for a reason. The reason is unknown, but probably relates to a series of EMOTIONAL traumas, having nothing to do with the condition in which he was found.
He has the memories, and when he feels comfortable and secure enough with ONE experienced therapist, the memories will be unlocked. He has to find security and safety again in his emotional self and find one person to trust with his truths, then he can recover his memories without fear.

I believe that Dr. Phil probably does have a therapist in Atlanta lined up for BK. I believe that he will have his own answers when he is ready emotionally to accept his own truths.
Whether we ever know or not is unknown. The man has a right to privacy about his life and his circumstances.

I hope most of all that he will find someone from his life before he left it who will love him, and welcome him back, and also be intelligent and sensitive enough to gradually help him back into the life he left, if that is where he wants to be and stay.
If he does not want to resume the life he left, then I hope there are resources available to him for rebuilding a new life for himself in the place of his choice, as long as he has full memory recovery and can move on, and not look back.

Maria

I do not know why I did not think of this before, but the comments made about him being a loner and mobile made me think of this...

My sisters boyfriends father is a truck driver. He travels all the time, all over the country. Four years ago he was stopped at a truck stop in TX, and was heading back toward his truck. He crossed a lane of truck traffic, and in his words "out of nowhere" this truck came plowing down the road fast. The truck hit him, he was dragged about 75 feet until the truck stopped. The trauma of the accident and the head injuries he sustained caused him to have amnesia, and he was in a hospital for three weeks until our family found him. He had selective memories, but did not remember his wife, daughter, son etc. He remembered traveling and being on the road and could recall places he had been, but not his home. When he saw his wife, he did not recognize her, but slowly began to regain his memories. I know that Believe said his injuries were caused by a beating, and I wonder if maybe he had been a truck driver, who for some reason was beaten up, and then transported elsewhere and then dumped? Maybe his abandoned truck is elsewhere, not even in the Savannah area? Maybe his memories of going to the ocean were to Florida, N. or S. Carolina, etc ---other coastal areas? Believe, is there any indication of his sexual preference? Not to offend, but if he were gay, he might probably have a greater chance of being beat up.

As far as theories relating to who he was and what his life was before he was found, I believe that:
He had a fairly traditional upbringing. Perhaps even some military service.
I believe he does have siblings. Maybe they have reason to believe he is dead.
We don't know.

I believe he is the type of person who would have business associates and friends. I believe he is from Indiana, but may not have lived there for some years. I think he has a professional degree relating to his lifelong profession. I have always thought that he might be an engineer of some type, either electrical, mechanical, or other. College graduate, likely.

I agree that he is concerned with having a high standard of independent living and does not want to live off the largesse of others. This speaks to his long term sense of independence and self- reliance. IOW, he was not a streetwalking homeless person, IMO. Never.

I draw a complete blank with regards to a family of his own, and this is unusual for me. I do not have ANY impressions as to whether he was ever married, was married at the time of his disappearance, has ever been a father, or is even heterosexual in orientation, to be honest.

I have wondered MANY times if maybe the beating was a hate crime because he is gay and maybe approached the wrong man. I keep having a strong feeling that he may be gay. (Please don't hate me for saying this as I mean NO disrespect to BK). I have lived fairly near Savannah, and I understand that there is a type of Southern male who would beat the snot out of someone who propositioned them for sex, even obliquely. It is wrong, of course, but it exists.
I am saying what some of you may have thought and not said.

I think the idea that he was involved in a natural disaster like the hurricanes makes a great deal of sense and I hope it is explored. I find it very " comfortable" to think that he was in Florida and traveled north to Savannah, either alone or with the wrong people out of need, such as an emergency hurricane evacuation. Maybe his car broke down and he accepted a ride with the absolute wrong people. We just don't know yet.

A Floridian who lives on or near the coast usually has a deep deep love for the ocean. It matters not how often one sees it. He may be explaining his love for the water and the sea by saying that's why he was in Savannah. "Filling in the blanks" with something he knows to be true- that he loves the ocean.
As I recall from being there years ago, Savannah isn't really known for being a premiere beach town. This may have changed. Savannah is rich in history, and it is a beautiful old town worth exploring for its history.
But, it is not where I would go if I wanted to see the ocean, even if I was a landlocked resident of say, Atlanta, as I think BK may have been. I would go to Amelia Island or Fernandina Beach, which would be about the same distance away as Savannah.

Last thought, the I 95 corridor is familiar to many of us who have lived on the East Coast. It has been notorious for criminal activity in the past. It is also a major route out of FL. There were elements of Benjaman's speech which made me think quite a lot of a transplanted Floridian. I can't explain it, but I know it when I hear it.

Julessleuther said:

I do not know why I did not think of this before, but the comments made about him being a loner and mobile made me think of this...

My sisters boyfriends father is a truck driver. He travels all the time, all over the country. Four years ago he was stopped at a truck stop in TX, and was heading back toward his truck. He crossed a lane of truck traffic, and in his words "out of nowhere" this truck came plowing down the road fast. The truck hit him, he was dragged about 75 feet until the truck stopped. The trauma of the accident and the head injuries he sustained caused him to have amnesia, and he was in a hospital for three weeks until our family found him. He had selective memories, but did not remember his wife, daughter, son etc. He remembered traveling and being on the road and could recall places he had been, but not his home. When he saw his wife, he did not recognize her, but slowly began to regain his memories. I know that Believe said his injuries were caused by a beating, and I wonder if maybe he had been a truck driver, who for some reason was beaten up, and then transported elsewhere and then dumped? Maybe his abandoned truck is elsewhere, not even in the Savannah area? Maybe his memories of going to the ocean were to Florida, N. or S. Carolina, etc ---other coastal areas? Believe, is there any indication of his sexual preference? Not to offend, but if he were gay, he might probably have a greater chance of being beat up.

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Oh man, we posted the same questions about his sexual preference at the same time, Jules.
I have been dying to say this and coudn't find a respectful enough way to ask or say it, but you and I did at the exact same time.

Do you have any psychic abilities that you know of? Just wondering, because I get a strong negative feeling about his having a family as in wife, children, etc.

I don't feel he is gay. Never have gotten any kind of impression such as that either. While it is true only he could answer such an inquiry, I only have my instincts to rely on for this matter.

I don't get a strong sense of him being interested in finding A FAMILY. As in wife, children, etc.. Maybe that's what I am picking up on more than anything.

I have never heard or read of him asking or wondering ANYTHING related to a family of his own, with him the head of the household.

Maybe that's the anomaly I am registering more than any overt gay issues. If so, I apologize.

I am sure he has wondered about having a family repeatedly. It is probably one of the most difficult and painful issues for him to ponder so could be why it hasn't been discussed out in the open. It could also be one of the last things he will recall if he ever starts to resurface memories, too. It would carry with it the largest amount of emotion, imo.

I am sure you are right, if he does not remember them, but inwordly feels he may have someone, it is probably very painful to talk about.

O/T I am guessing he was quite good looking when he was younger, as he is very handsome even now as an older man. He seems so sweet and nice. I really hope we can find his family, whoever and whereever they may be...

SeriouslySearching said:

I am sure he has wondered about having a family repeatedly. It is probably one of the most difficult and painful issues for him to ponder so could be why it hasn't been discussed out in the open. It could also be one of the last things he will recall if he ever starts to resurface memories, too. It would carry with it the largest amount of emotion, imo.

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I'm not convinced of this theory, just tossing out other avenues to explore:

Were there any fires that resulted in a family dying in the areas where he believes he was, or even in GA? Perhaps he was presumed deceased in a fire, where his family did die? Maybe the trauma of said fire was enough to make him suppress his memories and flee the area?

Once again, just tossing out ideas. I just can't figure out why else his family wouldn't be looking for him.

Julessleuther said:

I do not know why I did not think of this before, but the comments made about him being a loner and mobile made me think of this...

My sisters boyfriends father is a truck driver. He travels all the time, all over the country. Four years ago he was stopped at a truck stop in TX, and was heading back toward his truck. He crossed a lane of truck traffic, and in his words "out of nowhere" this truck came plowing down the road fast. The truck hit him, he was dragged about 75 feet until the truck stopped. The trauma of the accident and the head injuries he sustained caused him to have amnesia, and he was in a hospital for three weeks until our family found him. He had selective memories, but did not remember his wife, daughter, son etc. He remembered traveling and being on the road and could recall places he had been, but not his home. When he saw his wife, he did not recognize her, but slowly began to regain his memories. I know that Believe said his injuries were caused by a beating, and I wonder if maybe he had been a truck driver, who for some reason was beaten up, and then transported elsewhere and then dumped? Maybe his abandoned truck is elsewhere, not even in the Savannah area? Maybe his memories of going to the ocean were to Florida, N. or S. Carolina, etc ---other coastal areas? Believe, is there any indication of his sexual preference? Not to offend, but if he were gay, he might probably have a greater chance of being beat up.

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Hi Jules-I like much of your theory. I will just ask him about whether or not he thinks he can drive a rig-excellent stuff brought up by you and BM.

His sexual preference has never been a subject of discussion between us or me and his care givers. I never gave it much relevance, but it may have been short sighted of me given the context you state. I have spoken with him about children in general and never got the impression that he was very warm and fuzzy about them-I would never assume however that this meant he had none....I think that amnesia is sufficiently unknown enough or rare enough that it is difficult to imagine that you might not take on a persona that could be other than your "normal" self...although I do not know much about it, I could see that on some level you have been set free of a previous life and if part of that were due to emotional trauma than it makes even more sense to me that you might reject certain previous aspects of yourself.

Mr. Kyle is charming and engaging over the phone with a quick wit-although I just have my own impressions to judge by I think he has some affection for females beyond having to rely on a whole lot of them to propel him forward in his journey!

I will get back to you about the "big rig" stuff...

Hi everybody. I am brand new here. I have read here from time to time and followed some cases, but have just joined today. Guess I'm a late bloomer.

I had never heard of Benjaman Kyle before the Dr Phil show last week. I am so glad his story has received some national coverage after all this time. I have no doubt you guys had a big hand in that. I have not read everything here about this case, but enough to be very impressed with all your efforts on behalf of BK.:clap:

MissieMt, I was very intrigued by your theory regarding a fire. I'm not sure what my theory is yet, but after reading your idea, I did a google search and came up with the following:

http://orig.courier-journal.com/localnews/2004/08/21ky/B1-fire08210-5396.html

The date of the fire is August 21, 2004 in Bullitt, KY. It sounds like everyone who was supposed to be in the house was recovered, but you never know.

It's probably nothing, but the date of the fire as well as the area intrigued me.

Good idea, I wonder if a fire would cause cataracts?

MissieMt said:

I'm not convinced of this theory, just tossing out other avenues to explore:

Were there any fires that resulted in a family dying in the areas where he believes he was, or even in GA? Perhaps he was presumed deceased in a fire, where his family did die? Maybe the trauma of said fire was enough to make him suppress his memories and flee the area?

Once again, just tossing out ideas. I just can't figure out why else his family wouldn't be looking for him.

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I thought that as well about the cataracts and especially the raspy voice. I have always heard smoke inhalation can cause damage to the throat.