Authorities believe a missing man may have intended not to be found.
After Ryan Borgwardt disappeared during a kayaking trip on Green Lake in Wisconsin Aug. 12, officials now say they believe the dad of three is alive after he took out a life insurance policy and engaged in communication with a woman from Uzbekistan.
Authorities had found Borgwardt’s kayak capsized on the lake over the summer, with his vehicle and trailer parked in Dodge Memorial County Park in Green Lake, Sheriff Mark Podoll said at a Nov. 8 news briefing, per NBC News.
Inside the 44-year-old’s vehicle, authorities located his wallet—including his license—and keys, as well as a fishing tackle box and pole his wife identified Emily Borgwardt as belonging to her husband. However, while authorities searched the lake for eight weeks—including with the help of cadaver dogs which arrived on the scene Aug. 24—they were unable to locate him.
Amid the search for Borgwardt’s body, authorities said in the briefing that they found that his United States passport was “run,” or in need of renewal on Aug. 13. That same day, law enforcement in Canada searched Borgwardt’s name, finding that he had obtained a new passport.
