A Wisconsin father of three who disappeared over the summer faked his own death and fled to Eastern Europe, according to authorities.
Ryan Borgwardt, 44, was last heard from on Green Lake in central Wisconsin on Aug. 11. Rescuers and law enforcement launched an extensive search of the lake and surrounding area, lasting nearly two months, but couldn’t find Borgwardt.
Investigators changed their focus in early October and discovered Borgwardt’s name was searched by Canadian customs on Aug. 13, the day after he supposedly drowned in the lake.
“Wow. Yeah, that was something we didn’t expect,” Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said Friday at a press conference.
Borgwardt had been communicating with a woman in Uzbekistan, obtained a new passport, learned how to move money into foreign banks and replaced his laptop hard drive, according to police.
“Due to the discovery of this new evidence, we are confident that Ryan is not located in Green Lake, and we have ended all search efforts associated with Green Lake,” Podoll said. “At this time, we believe that Ryan is alive and likely in Eastern Europe.”
On Aug. 11, Borgwardt was kayaking on Green Lake, about 75 miles northwest of Milwaukee, and texted his wife that he would be heading home around 10:45 p.m., police said. But he never returned.
Searchers quickly found his kayak, fishing pole, wallet, keys and driver’s license but could not locate Borgwardt’s body. Only after learning that Canadian authorities had run Borgwardt’s passport did investigators realize he was likely not in the lake.
Last year, a Louisiana man tried and failed to fake his death in the same way. Melvin Emde’s son claimed Emde drowned in a kayaking accident, but Emde had actually faked his death while trying to avoid child porn charges. He was captured in Georgia one month later.