Officials in Wisconsin believe that a man who disappeared after kayaking at a lake this summer is alive and well, possibly faking his death and traveling to Europe — after taking out a life insurance policy and communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan.
Ryan Borgwardt — a married father of two — went missing on Aug. 12 and his last known location was Green Lake, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said during a news briefing Friday.
Deputies found a capsized kayak in the lake and Borgwardt’s vehicle and trailer parked in Dodge Memorial County Park, Podoll said.
A fishing rod identified by Borgwardt’s wife as belonging to him and a tackle box containing his wallet, license and keys were also found, according to Podoll. Search and recovery volunteer organization Bruce’s Legacy helped look for Borgwardt’s body in the lake, but it was never found.
On Aug. 24, three cadaver dogs and a dive team were brought in to assist with the search. An almost eight-week extensive search produced no findings, Podoll said.
Podol said the investigation took a turn when it was discovered that Borgwardt’s passport was “run” on Aug. 13., the day after he disappeared.
This led to a digital forensic analysis of Borgwardt’s laptop.
“Searching that … we have found that he was in some place in Europe,” Podoll said, adding that Borgwardt allegedly replaced the laptop’s hard drive and cleared his browser the day he disappeared.
Borgwardt also allegedly took photos of his passport, moved funds to a foreign bank, changed his email and was communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan, Podoll said. In January, he took out a $375,000 life insurance policy.
“Due to these discoveries of the new evidence, we were sure that Ryan was not in our lake,” Podoll said.
Podoll said the investigation into Borgwardt’s disappearance still has a lot of missing pieces, including a motive, and where he is right now.
“Our goals is to identify any crimes that have been committed by any individuals who assisted with this crime,” Podoll said, adding that the sheriff’s office will pursue compensation for search efforts funded by taxpayers.
Podoll said it is too early to identify what charges Borgwardt may be faced with.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security are assisting in the ongoing investigation.
Podoll is asking anyone with information about Borgwardt to call the sheriff’s office. Tips can be left anonymously, Podoll said.
“Ryan, if you’re viewing this, I plead that you contact us or contact your family,” Podoll said. “We understand that things can happen, but there’s a family that wants their daddy back.”
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