A Wisconsin father of three staged his own disappearance and fled the country, abandoning his wife and children, it has been revealed.
A massive search was launched after Ryan Borgwardt, 45, was reported missing by his family on August 12 while kayaking in Green Lake. His family feared the worst, believing he had drowned.
The search for his body lasted eight weeks, with police and local volunteers desperately looking for any sign of him, according to a press conference held Friday afternoon by the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities discovered an overturned kayak and life jacket believed to be Borgwardt’s, as well as his vehicle near Dodge Memorial Park.
A fisherman later hooked a fishing rod that the missing man’s wife identified as his, and additional personal belongings, including his wallet and keys, were discovered. But now, investigators believe Borgwardt devised a bizarre plan to fake his own death and flee to Europe.
They claim they discovered a new lead in the search for the missing man when they began scouring his computers for clues and broadening the investigation. It was then discovered that law enforcement in Canada had conducted a cross-check on him the day after he was reported missing.
They also discovered that the alleged missing man had been communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan online, had opened a new bank account, had obtained a new passport before leaving his original one at home before his kayaking trip, and had wiped his computer.
Despite his efforts to conceal his tracks, the digital footprint remained. Investigators say they discovered a plan that had been in the works for seven months, beginning with his purchase of a $375,000 life insurance policy.
All search efforts have ended since the discovery, but investigators believe he has fled to Europe and are pleading with him to return to his family.
“Ryan, if you are viewing this, please contact us or your family. We understand that things can happen, but there is a family who wants their father back,” Sheriff Mark Podoll said at the press conference.
“They thought their father was drowned. “They discovered a day ago that he wasn’t,” Podoll said during the briefing.
“I want to thank the family and his wife. “That is a strong lady,” he said.
“Whenever we called on her, she always answered and did everything she could for us. “I can’t imagine what she and they are going through.”
