Police think missing American man faked his death to flee Europe away from his family

Police in America are examining a case involving the presumed death of a man who they now believe might have faked his own death.

Ryan Borgwadt, 45, was last seen on 12 August at Green Lake, Wisconsin while on a solo fishing trip.

The dad of three kids last sent a text message to his wife on the night of 11 August which said he was turning his kayak around and was planning to head to shore soon.

But Borgwadt did not return home . His family contacted law enforcement and a search-and-rescue team was sent out to find him. The kayak was found capsized in the lake along with a life jacket.

His car, trailer, fishing rod and wallet were all found at a nearby park.

After an extensive search lasting 54 days which involved divers, drones, sonar and cadaver dogs, no body was found.

However the case of Borgwadt's presumed death took a strange turn when investigators discovered that his name had been checked by border officials in Canada on 13 August, the day after he was reported missing.

Investigators then discovered he had reported his passport as being lost or stolen and was issued a new one before he vanished.

The old passport was recovered from his wife, which may suggest he travelled using the new passport.

This interesting lead led to a host of strange circumstances surrounding Borgwadt's disappearance. Investigators completed a digital forensic analysis of his laptop and found he had taken out a life insurance policy worth $375,000 (£296,000).

He also transferred funds to a foreign bank account, and had taken a picture of his new passport and changed his email address before his presumed kayaking accident.

The missing dad and husband had also cleared his browser history and replaced his laptop's hard drive.

And now authorities have found indications that he may have travelled to a location in Eastern Europe.

"We believe that he is alive. We know that he's not in our lake," Matthew Vande Kolk, chief deputy sheriff for Green Lake County told the BBC .

Borgwardt's family, including his wife, have been cooperating with the investigation into his whereabouts. Authorities say he could be held "accountable for his actions" should he be found.

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