The beginnings of Green Lake, Wisconsin, USA, while kayaking this summer he may have staged his death and fled to Europe.
“We believe he is alive. We know it’s not in our lake,” Green Lake County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Matthew Vande Kolk told the BBC.
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, a married father of three, was last seen on Aug. 12 in Green Lake while he was out fishing alone.
Officials found evidence that Borgwardt had used his passport after his disappearance and may have traveled to Europe.
Borgwardt last texted his wife on the evening of August 11. The message said that he would capsize his kayak and that he would soon be heading for shore.
But when he didn’t return home, his family contacted the police, who dispatched a search and rescue team, which found his overturned kayak and life jacket in the lake.
Borgwardt’s car, trailer, fishing rod and wallet were found in a nearby park.
After 54 days of extensive search efforts by divers, drones, sonar and trained dogs, no body was found and no evidence was obtained.
That caused the sheriff’s office to expand its scope.
He was seen at the Canadian border
The case took a turn in October when investigators discovered Borgwardt’s name had been checked by border officials in Canada on Aug. 13, the day after he was reported missing.
Investigators then learned that Borgwardt had reported his passport lost or stolen and had been issued a new one prior to his disappearance.
His previous passport was later found by his wife, suggesting he may have traveled with the new document.
Following this lead, officials conducted a digital forensic analysis of Borgwardt’s laptop and found that he had carried out $375,000 life insurance policyhad transferred money to an overseas bank account, photographed his new passport and changed his email address before disappearing.
And after doing that, they discovered that Borgwardt had replaced the laptop’s hard drive and erased the browsing history on the day he disappeared.
Authorities also found evidence that he may have traveled to a location in Europe.
His wife was ‘extremely strong’
While the investigation continues, the sheriff’s office told the BBC it was evaluating appropriate criminal charges which could include obstruction and fraudulent activity.
Borgwardt’s family is cooperating, and the sheriff’s chief deputy said his wife was “extremely strong.”
“She did everything we asked her to do. He helped us by giving us information but also by keeping it secret,” Vande Kolk told the BBC. “Unfortunately, we had to keep it a secret for about a month from the time we started to think she was somewhere else, until we had enough information to share with the world, and she was able to and did that.”
“Our hope is that at some point we will be able to hold Ryan accountable for his actions and be able to seek compensation from him,” he added.
Authorities said they are continuing to search for Borgwardt, who they believe is alive and in Eastern Europe, as well as anyone who may have helped him stage his death and escape.
