Why Officials Believe a Kayaker Faked His Own Death & Fled To Europe

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After begetter of 3 Ryan Borgwardt disappeared portion kayaking, officials judge helium whitethorn person faked his ain decease owed to a caller beingness security argumentation and communications with an Uzbekistani woman. 

By Olivia Evans Nov 12, 2024 9:19 PMTags

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Authorities judge a missing antheral whitethorn person intended not to beryllium found. 

After Ryan Borgwardt disappeared during a kayaking travel connected Green Lake successful Wisconsin Aug. 12, officials present say they believe the dada of 3 is live aft helium took retired a beingness security argumentation and engaged successful connection with a pistillate from Uzbekistan. 

Authorities had recovered Borgwardt’s kayak capsized connected the water implicit the summer, with his conveyance and trailer parked successful Dodge Memorial County Park successful Green Lake, Sheriff Mark Podoll said astatine a Nov. 8 quality briefing, per NBC News

Inside the 44-year-old’s vehicle, authorities located his wallet—including his license—and keys, arsenic good arsenic a sportfishing tackle container and rod his woman identified Emily Borgwardt arsenic belonging to her husband. However, portion authorities searched the water for 8 weeks—including with the help of cadaver dogs which arrived connected the country Aug. 24—they were incapable to find him. 

Amid the hunt for Borgwardt’s body, authorities said successful the briefing that they recovered that his United States passport was “run,” oregon successful request of renewal connected Aug. 13. That aforesaid day, instrumentality enforcement successful Canada searched Borgwardt’s name, uncovering that helium had obtained a caller passport.

Chief Deputy Matthew L. Vande Kolk noted during the quality briefing, per NBC News, “We learned that helium reported his archetypal passport mislaid oregon stolen, and obtained a caller passport.”

Borgwardt’s woman was capable to “easily” proviso authorities with her husband’s original passport, with Kolk adding during the briefing, “We fishy helium traveled connected the ‘new’ passport.”

Upon discovering Borgwardt’s passport activity, authorities began a integer forensic search of his laptop, uncovering that helium had cleared oregon replaced his hard thrust and cleared his browsing past connected the time of his disappearance—as good arsenic his astir caller determination placing him successful Europe.

Emily Borgwardt/Facebook

Sheriff Podoll besides elaborate his online activities, saying that Borgwardt had allegedly taken photos of his passport, moved funds to a overseas slope account, changed his email code arsenic good arsenic being believed to person been communicating with a pistillate from Uzbekistan. 

They further pointed to a beingness security policy for $375,000 that Borgwardt had taken retired successful January. 

“Due to these discoveries of the caller evidence, we were definite that Ryan was not successful our lake,” Podoll added during the quality briefing. “Our extremity is to place immoderate crimes that person been committed by immoderate individuals who assisted with this crime.”

At this time, authorities cannot place what crimes, if any, Borgwardt would beryllium charged with if found. Podoll besides urged him to interaction the authorities oregon his household during the briefing. 

As the sheriff noted, “We recognize that things tin happen, but there's a household that wants their daddy back.”

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