Crime & Justice
Man Found Behind Burger King Had No Identity for 21 Years
The Why Files
Parallel Universes Are Real — And People Fall Into Them
"For 21 years, 1983 to 2004, a stretch where William Powell simply isn't anywhere. No job, no address, no record. Not one witness who can place him."
William Burgess Powell, discovered naked and near death behind a Burger King in 2004 with total amnesia, lived 11 years without legal identity before DNA genealogy revealed his name. Investigators later uncovered a suspicious 21-year gap in his records from 1983 to 2004, with no employment, address, or documentation. A 2026 documentary alleged he may have worked for organized crime or intelligence agencies and that his amnesia may have been fabricated.
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The Why Files