Dad who 'faked his own death' explains how he did it after video surfaces
A man who 'faked his own death' and fled to the other side of the world has revealed to authorities how he did it.
In a story which sounds like it's been ripped from out of the plot of a low-budget thriller, 45-year-old Ryan Borgwardt had seemingly vanished from the US state of Wisconsin while out on a solo kayaking trip back in August and had not been seen or heard from since.
Borgwardt had last spoken to his wife in the evening on 11 August to inform her that he was turning his kayak around and heading to shore, leading to her reporting him missing the next day.
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Local authorities would soon recover Borgwardt's kayak and life jacket in the lake, as well as his personal possessions and car nearby - leading them to believe that he had subsequently drowned.
A frantic 54-day search of the ground, sky and water took place, but authorities were unable to locate any trace of the man.
That is until they made a potential discovery leading them up to the Canadian border.
Subsequent investigations by police would reveal that Borgwardt had recently applied for a new passport, as well as having taken out a massive $375,000 (£299,269) life insurance policy, which had been transferred into an overseas bank account.
The discoveries raised alarm bells, with authorities now believing that Borgwardt was alive and had fled the country.
However, the story doesn't end there.
In a second bizarre twist to the story, Borgwardt confirmed to authorities in a video from 11 November that he was alive and well.
"The great news is he's still alive and well," Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll revealed in a press conference.
"The bad news is that we don’t know where exactly Ryan is, and he has not decided to return home."
It is believed that Borgwardt is somewhere in Eastern Europe, though he hasn't specified his location to police.
Podoll then played part of the clip aloud, which saw Borgwardt tell the camera: "I am safe, secure, no problem. I hope this works."
How did Ryan Borgwardt flee to Europe?
According to a report published by ABC News, Podoll went on to say that Borgwardt had explained how he'd been able to flee the country undetected.
"He stashed an e-bike near the boat launch. He paddled his kayak in a child-sized floating boat out into the lake. He overturned the kayak and dumped his phone in the lake," Podoll said.
"He paddled the inflatable boat to shore and got on his e-bike and road through the night to Madison, [Wisconsin]," the sheriff continued.
"In Madison, he boarded a bus and went to Detroit, and then the Canadian border. He continued on the bus to an airport and got on a plane."
Podoll went on to add that authorities are currently working to verify Borgwardt's story, while authorities have also added that the father owes them $40,000 (£32,000) for the cost of their investigation.
Brenna Cooper