A missing Wisconsin kayaker was initially believed to have drowned. Officials say he faked his own death

By Amanda Musa, CNN

(CNN) — Ryan Borgwardt, a married father of three, has been missing since August after leaving for a relaxing fishing trip on Green Lake, about an hour north of his home in Watertown, Wisconsin. Investigators now suspect the experienced kayaker faked his own death and fled to Europe via Canada.

Local and state authorities, along with volunteers, searched for the 44-year-old for 54 days, fearing he might have drowned and his body was somewhere at the bottom of the lake, Green Lake Sheriff Mark Podoll said at a news conference on Friday.

Bruce’s Legacy, a nonprofit that assists law enforcement in searching for drowned bodies, deployed high-end sonar equipment to scan the lake’s bottom, while the sheriff’s office used drones to search from above for any signs of Borgwardt. Cadaver dogs were brought in at one point.

After eight weeks, the entirety of Green Lake had been searched, Podoll said. There was no sign of Borgwardt.

“On October 7, I got my crew together – my three detectives and my chief deputy – and we talked, and we said, ‘We have got to go in a different direction,’” Podoll said.

Investigators suspect Borgwardt did not drown but seemingly faked his own death before crossing into Canada, Podoll said.

As investigators delved into Borgwardt’s life, they discovered he had transferred funds to a foreign bank account, changed his email and communicated with a woman in Uzbekistan. In January, Borgwardt took out a $375,000 life insurance policy, Podoll said.

“Due to these discoveries of the new evidence, we were sure that Ryan was not in our lake,” Podoll said.

Tracing Ryan’s steps

Borgwardt was reported missing on the morning of August 12 after failing to return home from a fishing trip, according to officials. That morning, his capsized kayak was found in the lake and his vehicle, along with a trailer, was found at a nearby park, Podoll said.

The following day, two fishermen casting along the lake found a fishing rod that belonged to Borgwardt, his wife, told officials. A tackle box was found later that day with several of Borgwardt’s belongings: a set of keys, a wallet and his license.

Podoll’s team found months later that Canadian officials “ran” Borgwardt’s passport on the same day he crossed into Canada, according to Green Lake Sheriff Deputy Chief Matt Vande Kolk, who said officials have reason to believe he used a new passport.

The discovery that Borgwardt might have left the country prompted investigators to search his computer, according to Podoll.

Through a digital forensic analysis, investigators found that Borgwardt replaced the hard drive on his laptop and cleared his browser history on the day of his disappearance, Podoll said.

“We found out that he moved funds to a foreign bank, changing his email and (had communicated) with a woman in Uzbekistan,” Podoll said. “He took out a $375,000 life insurance policy in January and purchased airline cards.”

Borgwardt is now likely in Eastern Europe, Vande Kolk told CNN. It is unclear who the woman in Uzbekistan is, Podoll added.

“Our investigation has many steps to take,” Podoll said. “It’s a puzzle that we’re putting together … we have got many pieces, but we have got a lot more pieces to find.”

The FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations are now involved in the case, according to Podoll.

Podoll says officials are working to identify if any crimes were committed and if anyone helped Borgwardt. No charges have been filed against Borgwardt, the sheriff’s office said in an email to CNN Tuesday.

Officials are also seeking “restitution for expenses of the searches that have been funded by taxpayers,” Podoll said.

Keith Cormican, director of Bruce’s Legacy, told CNN he spent nearly 30 days working on the case. The first two weeks of the search alone will cost him about $10,000 due to damaged equipment and other expenses, he said.

“We had our share of problems out there being in such a difficult lake,” Cormican told CNN Tuesday.

Cormican has been involved in public safety diving for over 30 years and says he started the nonprofit in 2013 in honor of his brother, Bruce, who drowned during a canoe trip.

Searching for missing persons is a stressful job, Cormican adds, and the inability to locate Borgwardt caused him a lot of emotional stress.

“My success rate is pretty good,” Cormican told CNN. “To not be able to find him … really had me questioning my abilities. And I lost a lot of sleep over it.”

Anyone with information about Borgwardt’s disappearance is encouraged to call the Green Lake Sheriff’s office, Podoll said. Tips can be left anonymously.

Podoll also called on Borgwardt to come home: “Ryan, if you’re viewing this, I plead that you contact us or contact your family,” he said. “We understand that things can happen but there’s a family that wants their daddy back.”

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