GREEN LAKE, Wis. (WBAY/Gray News) – Authorities in Wisconsin believe that a father of 3 faked his own disappearance and fled the country.
Green Lake County Sheriff‘s Office said the family of 44-year-old Ryan Borgwardt reported him missing on August 12 after he failed to return home from a kayaking trip.
Authorities searched extensively for eight weeks, using drones, radar, and boats.
Searchers found an overturned kayak and life jacket they believed belonged to Borgwardt.
As investigators began new search efforts, the sheriff’s office said they soon learned that Ryan’s name had been checked by law enforcement in Canada on August 13.
Investigators searched further and learned that Ryan had reported his passport lost or stolen and had obtained another passport issued on May 22.
His original passport was easily located by his family.
A digital forensic analysis of a laptop has provided a digital trail showing that Ryan had planned his disappearance to Europe and attempted to conceal his efforts and mislead investigators.
Authorities located things such as:
- The replacement of the hard drive on the laptop
- The clearing of browsers on the day of disappearance
- Syncing the laptop with Icloud on August 11, 2024
- Photos of passports.
- Inquiries about moving funds to foreign banks
- Changed email addresses associated with financial accounts on the day of disappearance
- Communication with a woman from Uzbekistan
- A new $375,000 life insurance policy in January 2024
- A purchased airline gift card
Authorities are confident that Ryan is not located in Wisconsin and have ended all search efforts.
They believe that he may be in Europe.
If there is someone out there who has either knowingly or unknowingly assisted Ryan in his efforts, authorities encourage you to come forward by contacting the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office at 920-294-4134 ext 1162.
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