Wisconsin officials believe the kayaker who has been missing since the summer faked his death and is in Europe

Officials in Wisconsin believe a man who disappeared after kayaking on a lake this summer is alive and well. He may have faked his death and traveled to Europe – after taking out life insurance and communicating 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 during a news conference Friday.

Officers found a capsized kayak in the lake and Borgwardt’s vehicle and trailer at Dodge Memorial County Park, Podoll said.

Also found were a fishing rod identified by Borgwardt’s wife as his property, as well as a tackle box containing his wallet, driver’s license and keys, according to Podoll. The volunteer search and recovery organization Bruce’s Legacy helped search for Borgwardt’s body in the lake, but it was never found.

On August 24, three cadaver dogs and a dive team were brought in to help with the search. An extensive search lasting nearly eight weeks yielded no results, Podoll said.

Podol said the investigation shifted its focus across the Atlantic when it was discovered that Borgwardt’s passport had been “searched” on August 13, the day after his disappearance.

That day, Canadian police officers called Borgwardt’s name, Green Lake County authorities said. Chief Deputy Matthew L. Vande Kolk said via email that investigators discovered the records audit on Oct. 7.

Through the Canadian name investigation, investigators in Wisconsin learned that Borgwardt had received a new passport. “We learned that he reported his original passport as lost or stolen and received a new passport,” the deputy chairman said.

Borgwardt’s previous passport was “easily found” through his wife, he said. “We assume that he traveled with the ‘new’ passport,” said Vande Kolk.

Meanwhile, the discovery that his passport was being held by Canadian authorities led investigators to conduct a digital forensic analysis of Borgwardt’s laptop.

“During the search … we found out that he was somewhere in Europe,” Podoll said, adding that Borgwardt allegedly replaced the laptop’s hard drive and deleted his browser on the day of his disappearance.

Borgwardt also allegedly took photos of his passport, transferred funds to a foreign bank, changed his email address and communicated with a woman from Uzbekistan, Podoll said. In January, he took out a life insurance policy for $375,000.

“Based on these new findings, we were confident that Ryan was not in our lake,” Podoll said.

Podoll said many details are still missing from the investigation into Borgwardt’s disappearance, including a motive and where he is now.

“Our goal is to identify all crimes committed by individuals who participated in this crime,” Podoll said, adding that the sheriff’s office will seek compensation for taxpayer-funded search efforts.

Podoll said it was too early to determine what charges Borgwardt might face.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security are assisting in the ongoing investigation.

Podoll asks anyone with information about Borgwardt to call the sheriff’s office. Tips can be left anonymously, Podoll said.

“Ryan, if you’re looking at this, I’m asking you to contact us or your family,” Podoll said. “We understand things can happen, but there is a family that wants their father back.”