7 Amnesiacs Who Needed to Background Check Themselves

Amnesia, which can be partial or complete loss of memory, is caused by a variety of factors. Some lose their memory as a result of blunt trauma. Others lose their memory as a result of extreme stress. Either way, it is one of the strangest phenomena of the brain. The idea of waking up somewhere with no clue as to your identity, family, or friends is terrifying, and it does occasionally happen to people. These amnesiacs could benefit highly from a background check, which could give them some insight into their identity, jobs they’ve held, criminal records, and credit. If they could simply conjure up a few critical details of their existence, a background check could help fill in some of the blanks.

1. Mary Ann Spurlock

   Mary Ann Spurlock suffered 10 days of complete amnesia as a result of a serious concussion. The freshman in high school was ice skating at a rink in Colorado Springs when she fell and hit her head on the hard, unforgiving ice. After the veil of the concussion lifted, she could not identify her parents or even her own name. Her doctors seemed certain that Spurlock’s memory would return, and although she couldn’t remember details as to her identity, she could easily remember skills learned in school and even her teacher’s favorite candy. Within the following 10 days, her memory fully returned, and she was back to normal. Spurlock is relieved, but considers the consequences of certain sports where people are prone to concussions more carefully now.

2. Edward Lighthart

   Edward Lighthart, found in Discovery Park of Seattle, Washington, may be a world traveler, scholar, and fine chef, but he doesn’t remember any of it. After The Seattle Times posted an article trying to identify Lighthart, a reader in China recognized him and provided the necessary information. The reader claimed that Lighthart had taught him English in Shanghai. From that clue, the rest of his identity was pieced together. As it turns out, Lighthart had been living in Las Vegas with his sister shortly before his abrupt memory loss, but had a falling out with her over money issues. He disappeared and was later found outside the park, dehydrated, and with $600 bundled up in his sock, but with no form of identification. Lighthart was able to recall a few of his travels, such as living in Paris, Vienna and Shanghai, but also appeared to think he had married a woman named Tina who had died. None of his relatives know of any past marriages with Lighthart, but his grasp on memories is strengthened each day as friends from his past come forth.

3. Jeff Ingram

   Jeff Ingram woke up on the streets of Denver on September 10 with a completely blank slate for memories. After setting off on a trip toward Canada four days prior, he awoke with total memory loss, including his name, family, friends, and where he was. Apart from a splitting headache, he had only $8, the clothing he was wearing, and some jewelry. There was no wallet or any form of identification to be found. After being recognized on the news, he was returned to his Olympia home and to the hands of his fiancée, Penny Hansen. Their marital plans are on hold, but Hansen is supporting him and re-teaching him lost abilities such as cooking. Doctors suspect Ingram’s amnesia is a type called associative fugue, which is caused by stress. It is the second time Ingram has suffered through such an episode, as he also lost his memory in 1995 after disappearing for nine months to Seattle.

4. Benjaman Kyle

   In 2009, a man was found naked and beaten near a set of dumpsters outside of a Richmond Hill, Georgia Burger King. He was nicknamed Benjaman Kyle to correspond with the fast food chain’s initials, but he awoke with total amnesia. Among the few clues Kyle has to his previous life are an affinity for the food service industry, the Colorado University library, and the belief that Boulder, Colorado is his home. After Kyle was taken to the hospital for his injuries, he was moved around several clinics because nobody wanted to deal with the financial burden. Finally, a nurse named Katherine Slater took him under her wing and has been working to help him regain his memories. Kyle’s case of isolated retrograde amnesia is one of the rarest forms of amnesia, and was likely caused by brain damage as a result of being beaten. Due to his untreated cataracts, the forensic genealogist assigned to Kyle’s case suspects he was homeless and could not afford medical care.

5. An Albuquerque Amnesiac

   Although she asked that her name remain confidential, a 34-year-old Albuquerque woman was supposedly struck in the head and suffered total memory loss after moving to Houston for a sales job. Her identity was discovered with help from authorities and family, but she still recalls nothing of her prior existence, with the exception of owning a dog named Bones. The woman spent two weeks at St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital before her release. She was offered the chance to be reacquainted with her family, but declined, as she has no memory of them. When she was found, she was walking into the hospital with nothing but a set of car keys. The reciprocating car was found parked outside of a Barnes and Noble, containing both her purse and some brochures for nearby apartment complexes. A dog was identified outside of the Barnes and Noble on the same day that the woman entered the hospital, although the woman can’t fully identify it, so it has been placed under foster care.

6. Carrie Lousie White

   When 22-year-old Carrie Lousie White stumbled into the Coney Island Hospital in 1998, she was hazy and unable to confirm who had dropped her off or what her name was. Doctors gave the woman sodium pentothal, a “truth serum” of sorts, and she suddenly recalled that her name was Greta Gray, she was a rape victim, and that her husband, William Gray, had been murdered in New Orleans. She also claimed that her attackers forced her to drink alcohol and take pills. Detectives could not find any record of a homicide involving William Gray in New Orleans, but when White supplied the number to her supposed father-in-law William Gray senior, they were able to get through. However, William Gray senior had passed away several years prior. Later, the police found out that her real name was Carrie Louise White, and that she was manic depressive and left home without any money, identification, or medication. Her family had been looking for her for more than a year. It is believed that the identity she assumed of Greta Gray was a work of fiction devised from other people from her past.

7. Kacie Peterson

   Eighteen-year-old Kacie Aleece Peterson of Hansville came to while wandering around Manhattan in October of 2009. With no memories of whom she was or what she was doing there, she entered a youth homeless shelter and contacted authorities. Unable to think of her own name, she was dubbed “Jane Doe” and the search for her identity ensued. Shortly thereafter, she was identified based on a CNN News Report and reunited with her father. Apparently, Peterson had been declared missing earlier that month, but as she was 18 and her bank records indicated she was getting by, a search and rescue force was not administered. Her father relayed that his daughter had gone to live with a friend after the death of her mother, but had disappeared without notice. Peterson has had an episode of amnesia in the past as well, in which she lost most of her memories.