Authorities in Green Lake, Wisconsin, say that a local man who went missing while kayaking this summer may have staged his own death and fled to Europe.
“We believe that he is alive. We know that he’s not in our lake,” Matthew Vande Kolk, Chief Deputy Sheriff for Green Lake County, told the BBC.
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, a married father of three, was last seen on 12 August at Green Lake while on a solo fishing trip.
Officials found evidence that Mr Borgwardt had used his passport after his disappearance and may have travelled to Europe.
Mr Borgwardt had last texted his wife on the night of 11 August. The message said he was turning his kayak around and heading to shore soon.
But when he failed to return home, his family contacted law enforcement who sent out a search-and-rescue team, which found his capsized kayak and life jacket on the lake.
Mr Borgwardt’s car, trailer, fishing rod and wallet were all left at the park nearby.
After 54 days of extensive search efforts of divers, drones, sonar and cadaver dogs, no body was recovered and no evidence turned up.
That caused the sheriff’s office to widen its scope.
The case took a turn in October when investigators discovered Mr Borgwardt’s name had been checked by border officials in Canada on 13 August, the day after he was reported missing.
Investigators then learned that Mr Borgwardt had reported his passport lost or stolen and was issued a new one prior to his disappearance.
His previous passport was later recovered from his wife, indicating he may have travelled on the new document.
Following this lead, officials conducted a digital forensic analysis of Mr Borgwardt’s laptop, and they found that he had taken out a $375,000 life insurance policy, had transferred funds to a foreign bank account, photographed his new passport, and altered his email address before he vanished.
And after doing this, they discovered that Mr Borgwardt had replaced the laptop’s hard drive and cleared his browser history the day he disappeared.
Authorities also found indications that he may have traveled to a location in Europe.
While the investigation continues, the sheriff’s office told the BBC they are evaluating the appropriate criminal charges that could include obstruction and fraudulent activity.
Borgwardt’s family is cooperating and the chief deputy sheriff said his wife has been “extremely strong.”
“She has done everything that we have asked of her in regards to helping us with information, and holding on to information,” Mr Vande Kolk told the BBC. “Unfortunately, we had to keep this quiet for about a month from the time that we started thinking that he was somewhere else, until we had enough information that we could share with the world, and she did that.”
“Our hope is then, at some point we’ll be able to hold Ryan accountable for his actions and request restitution,” he added.
Authorities said that they are continuing to look for Mr. Borgwardt, who they believe is alive and in Eastern Europe, and anyone who may have assisted him in faking his death and fleeing.