Wisconsin officials believe kayaker missing since summer faked his death and is in Europe

Wisconsin officials believe a man who disappeared after kayaking on a lake this summer is alive and well, possibly after faking his death and traveling to Europe — after he took out life insurance and communicated with a woman from Uzbekistan.

Ryan Borgwardt — a married father of two — disappeared Aug. 12 and his last known location was Green Lake, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said at a news briefing Friday.

Deputies found an overturned kayak in the lake and Borgwardt’s vehicle and trailer parked in Dodge Memorial County Park, Podoll said.

A fishing rod Borgwardt’s wife identified as belonging to him and a tackle box containing his wallet, license and keys were also found, Podoll said. The volunteer search and recovery organization Bruce’s Legacy helped search for Borgwardt’s body in the lake, but it was never found.

On August 24, three cadaver dogs and a diving team were brought in to help with the search. A nearly eight-week extensive search yielded no results, Podoll said.

Podoll said the investigation shifted focus across the Atlantic when it was discovered that Borgwardt’s passport was “run” on August 13, the day after he disappeared.

On that day, law enforcement officials in Canada ran Borgwardt’s name, Green Lake County authorities said. Chief Deputy Matthew L. Vande Kolk said via email that detectives discovered the records check on Oct. 7.

The Canadian name check allowed Wisconsin investigators to learn that Borgwardt had obtained a new passport. “We learned that he reported his original passport lost or stolen and obtained a new passport,” the top deputy said.

Borgwardt’s previous passport was “easily located” through his wife, he said. “We expect he traveled on the ‘new’ passport,” Vande Kolk said.

Meanwhile, the discovery that Canadian authorities had run his passport prompted investigators to conduct a digital forensic analysis of Borgwardt’s laptop.

“By searching for it … we’ve found that he was somewhere in Europe,” Podoll said, claiming Borgwardt replaced the laptop’s hard drive and cleared his browser the day he disappeared.

Borgwardt is also said to have taken photos of his passport, moved money to a foreign bank and changed his email address, and is believed to have communicated with a woman from Uzbekistan, Podoll said. In January, he took out life insurance for $375,000.

“Because of these discoveries of the new evidence, we were confident that Ryan was not in our lake,” Podoll said.

Podoll said the investigation still has many missing pieces, including a motive and where he is right now.

“Our goal is to identify any crime that has been committed by individuals who assisted in this crime,” Podoll said, adding that the sheriff’s office will seek compensation for taxpayer-funded search efforts.

Podoll said it is too early to identify what charges Borgwardt may face.

The FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are assisting in the investigation.

Podoll asked anyone with information about Borgwardt to call the sheriff’s office. Tips can be left anonymously, he said.

“Ryan, if you see this, I’m asking you to contact us or contact your family,” Podoll said. “We understand that things can happen, but there is a family that wants their father back.”