Teddy Kyle Smith Was a Successful Actor. Then, He Shot Two People and Claimed Mystical Creatures Made Him Do It

Obsession, greed, and desperation are common motives in most true crime documentaries. But Hulu’s look into the 2012 shooting of two hunters by a rising actor points to something very different: the supernatural.

Released in September 2025, Blood & Myth follows the story of Teddy Kyle Smith, an Iñupiaq man and well-known actor who became a fugitive after a series of violent crimes in the remote Alaskan town of Kiana.

Smith spent nearly two weeks hiding from police in the wilderness before surrendering. He was accused of trying to murder two hunters he met in a cabin. His explanation? That “little people” from Iñupiaq folklore, called Iñukuns, forced him to do it.

“His story was basically that he was … being influenced by forces beyond his control,” District Attorney John Earthman told the Anchorage Daily News in 2014. “He discussed voices and different things that he saw in his travels out there. He didn’t assert that he was rational, but he did provide an explanation.”

Smith was convicted of two counts of first-degree attempted murder, among other crimes, and sentenced to 99 years in prison, according to HuffPost.

Who is Teddy Kyle Smith?

Smith is a former Marine and Iñupiaq man who grew up in a small Alaskan town, per HuffPost. In 2011, he starred in the drama On the Ice, which premiered at Sundance and was praised for its authentic portrayal of Iñupiaq culture. He later had a small role in Wildlike (2014).

While Smith was admired in his community, Blood & Myth executive producer James Dommek Jr. said many people believed he struggled to balance his new success with his cultural traditions.

Though he worked with elders and taught children Iñupiaq skills, Smith was also known to drink heavily and sometimes acted erratically. He had prior legal troubles, including assault charges in 2000, 2003, and 2005, as reported by the Anchorage Daily News.

What happened in 2012?

In September 2012, Alaska State Troopers began investigating the suspicious death of Smith’s mother, Dolly Smith. Her body was found in her Kiana home on September 7. The unusual circumstances made troopers consider her death suspicious, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

That same day, Smith disappeared. Troopers said no one had seen or heard from him.

Later, they revealed that Smith had fired a gun into a crowd outside his mother’s home. At least four people ran for cover, and one man said a bullet nearly hit him. Smith was charged with four counts of assault, but officials did not connect him to his mother’s death, which was later ruled “undetermined,” HuffPost reported.

Twelve days later, two hunters — Paul and Charles Buckel — reported being shot during a trip near Kiana. They said Smith attacked them in a cabin, then stole their boat and gear before floating down the Squirrel River. Authorities set up a blockade, and Smith eventually surrendered.

He was charged with multiple counts, including robbery, assault, and attempted murder.

Why did he say he did it?

In Blood & Myth, Dommek Jr. explained that Smith claimed he was influenced by Iñukuns — mysterious figures from Iñupiaq folklore. These “little people” are said to lurk in the dark and can take control of those who stray too far from home.

Smith has continued to insist that the Iñukuns told him to “go back to the old way,” pushing him toward violence.

“It was just one of those things, like, is this really happening? It was almost like if time stopped,” Smith said in the documentary.

Where is Teddy Kyle Smith now?

In December 2014, Smith was convicted on all charges and sentenced to 99 years in prison.

Dommek Jr. told Gold Derby that it took him eight years to secure an interview with Smith, who never changed his story about the supernatural encounter.

Now, Smith says he regrets what he did to the Buckels.

“No growth can happen in me if I’m not sorry for what I did to the Buckels and I know that for a fact,” he said. “Even now I ask that they become blessed in whatever they do and I ask forgiveness … Every opportunity I get to help them out, I will.”