Missing father of three investigated to stage his own death and flee the country: Sheriff

Wisconsin authorities said Thursday they have successfully made contact with a missing father of three who “staged his death” in August and appears to have fled the country, although his exact whereabouts are still unknown.

Ryan Borgwardt’s family reported him missing on August 12th when he didn’t come home, and Wisconsin authorities and volunteers searched for the 45-year-old for months after finding his capsized kayak in Green Lake that same Monday.

On November 8, nearly three months after his disappearance, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll announced that a digital forensic analysis of Borgwardt’s computer had led officials to conclude that the missing father and husband was probably alive “somewhere in Europe”.

Now Podoll is sharing new information about exactly how Borgwardt staged his disappearance and where his missing person case currently stands.

Missing father of three may have faked his own death and fled ‘somewhere in Europe’: officials

Borgwardt poses with his wife and son — Borgwardt “took out $300,000 in life insurance and purchased airline cards in January,” the sheriff said, leading officials to believe he was still alive somewhere — just not in the United States.

“He staged his death and unfortunately one of the things he said was that he didn’t expect us to be looking for him for more than two weeks. Well, I hate to tell you that he picked the wrong sheriff and the wrong department.”

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The sheriff announced during a news conference Thursday that sheriff’s department officials made contact with a woman who speaks Russian earlier this month and were able to connect her to Borgwardt. Podoll later added that the missing father and the Russian-speaking woman apparently met on the Internet.

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“That was a big turning point,” Podoll said of the contact with the woman.

After making contact with Borgwardt through the woman, the sheriff’s office asked him to send a video of himself to prove he was safe, as their biggest concern up to that point was that Borgwardt was OK went and he was not in danger.

Borgwardt poses with his family in formal clothing — A digital forensic analysis of Borgwardt’s computer led to the determination that the missing father and husband likely lived “somewhere in Europe.”

Borgwardt obeyed and Podoll played his video aloud during Thursday’s press conference. In the video, Ryan can be heard quietly saying his name, the date and time and that he is “safe.”

The sheriff’s office has communicated with Ryan “almost daily” since then, Podoll said.

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Borgwardt has since told police that on August 12, the day he disappeared, he parked an e-bike near Green Lake – one of the deepest lakes in Wisconsin – and was in a kayak with his fishing rod and phone paddled the lake and a child-sized inflatable boat. He threw his phone and fishing rod into the lake, got into the dinghy, flipped the kayak over and paddled to shore, where he then rode his e-bike to a bus stop in Detroit. From Detroit he traveled to the Canadian border.

A photo of a search and rescue boat searching for Borgwardt on Green Lake, including a photo of Borgwardt — Wisconsin officials believe Ryan Borgwardt faked his own death in August.

Earlier this month, the sheriff said Borgwardt may have traveled to a country in Europe, but clarified Thursday that the 45-year-old’s exact whereabouts remain unknown.

Fishermen at Green Lake “made up a fishing rod” that officers collected as evidence, and Borgwardt’s wife identified the fishing rod as her husband’s, Podoll said during the Nov. 8 news conference recorded by Fox 11.

“We continue to review this information and try to piece it together,” the sheriff said Thursday. “We believe this was a way for Ryan to tell the whole country how he did it. There are messages expressing the importance of his decision to return home and clean up the mess he has made.”

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Authorities are investigating Digital forensic analysis that Borgwardt replaced his laptop’s hard drive before his disappearance, deleted his browser history on the day of his disappearance, took photos of his passport, transferred money to a foreign bank, changed his email address and was in “communication with a woman.” Uzbekistan,” Podoll said on November 8, according to FOX 11.

Sheriff Mark Podoll — The investigation into Borgwardt’s disappearance will continue and will “involve many more people” in the future, the sheriff said.

Authorities had not issued an arrest warrant for Borgwardt as of Thursday, and Podoll explained that they would not have to issue arrest warrants if Borgwardt decided to “cooperate.”

The sheriff’s office also has not filed criminal charges against Borgwardt, but local officials are currently working with federal partners to determine how to handle possible charges if they are warranted. The FBI also works on communications abroad.

“He needs to return home to his children. If he decides not to return, it will be of his own free will and I think the message is very clear,” Podoll said.

Green Lake County will seek reimbursement of between $35,000 and $40,000 related to resources needed for ongoing Borgwardt settlement efforts.

Original source of the article: Missing father of three investigated to stage his own death and flee the country: Sheriff