A kayaker who faked his own death and fled abroad has made a mysterious video appearance from a bolthole.
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, disappeared while on a solo kayaking trip this summer at Green Lake, Wisconsin, US.
The father-of-three was last seen on August 12 before his capsised kayak and life jacket were found which sparked a huge search and rescue operation using divers, drones, sonar and specialist dogs.
However, authorities began suspecting the case after investigators found that Borgwardt’s name had been checked by police in Canada on August 13, ABC News reports citing the Green Lake County Sheriff.
It is thought Borgwardt travelled on a brand-new passport he had been issued shortly before his disappearance.
An analysis of a laptop revealed a digital trail that showed he had planned to travel to Europe and tried to mislead investigators, according to AP.
After months of efforts, authorities have now tracked him down – but his exact location remains a mystery.
Eventually, they managed to make contact with a woman who speaks Russian and they ‘got in contact with Ryan through her,’ the sheriff Mark Podoll said today.
He described it as a ‘big turning point’ after the man agreed to confirm his identity.
Podoll said: ‘The great news is we know that he is alive and well.
‘The bad news is we don’t know where Ryan exactly is, and he has not yet decided to return home.’
He said the officers tried to keep ‘pulling at his heartstrings’ to get him to come back to the US.
Officers asked him questions only Borgwardt could know, asking him to make a video of himself.
In the video, he appears to be in an apartment, before confirming the date as November 11 and saying he was safe.
However, he refused to reveal where he is exactly, but authorities suspect he may be somewhere in Eastern Europe, ABC News reports.
Officers have speculated that he may have faked his death to meet up with a woman he had been in contact with in Uzbekistan, according to AP.
Despite ‘daily communication’ with the officers, Borgwardt has not ‘spoken to his wife or children,’ the sheriff said.
‘Christmas is coming,’ the sheriff said, adding that, ‘what better gift could your kids get than to be there for Christmas?’
He said he wasn’t sure how he was supporting himself where ever he is, but he speculated that he has a job, adding that ‘he’s a smart guy.’
During the investigation, authorities also discovered that he had taken out a $375,000 life insurance policy in January, although it was for his family and not him, the AP reports.
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