Officials in Wisconsin believe a man who disappeared after he was kayaking at a lake this summer is alive and well, possibly having faked his death and traveled to Europe — after he took out a life insurance policy and communicated 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 at 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 Borgwardt's wife identified as belonging to him and a tackle box containing his wallet, license and keys were also found, Podoll said. The 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.
Podoll said the investigation shifted focus across the Atlantic when it was discovered that Borgwardt’s passport was “run” on Aug. 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 by email that detectives discovered the records check on Oct. 7.
The Canadian name inquiry allowed Wisconsin investigators to learn that Borgwardt had gotten a new passport. “We learned that he reported his original passport lost or stolen, and obtained a new passport,” the chief deputy said.
Borgwardt's former passport was "easily located" through his wife, he said. "We expect that 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.
"Searching that ... we have found that he was in some place in Europe," Podoll said, alleging that Borgwardt replaced the laptop's hard drive and cleared his browser the day he disappeared.
Borgwardt also is also alleged to have taken photos of his passport, moved funds to a foreign bank and changed his email address, and he was believed to have been 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 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 might 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'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."
