Wisconsin officials believe missing kayaker faked his death and is living in Europe

Officials in Wisconsin believe a kayaker who went missing during the summer and was believed to be dead is actually alive and living in Europe.

The Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office shared the dramatic twist in the search for 45-year-old Ryan Borgwardt from Watertown during a press conference on Friday.

"We don’t know where he is, but he is not in our lake,” said Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll.

The investigation into Borgwardt's disappearance at Green Lake included U.S. Customs, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI.

After weeks of searching the lake to no avail, officials said they determined he had a second passport, had inquiries about moving funds to foreign banks, purchased airline gift cards, took out a $375,000 life insurance policy and was communicating with a woman in Uzbekistan leading them to believe he faked his disappearance.

The sheriff's office said Borgwardt, who is a married father of two, replaced a hard drive on his laptop and cleared browsers on the day he vanished, which was Aug. 12.

Podoll said the search for Borgwardt and the latest development has been difficult for his family.

The news was also hard for search groups, like Bruce's Legacy, to hear. The group is a nonprofit founded by Keith Cormican that specializes in water searches.

“It’s a little tough to swallow because it required a lot of expenses on this one,” said Cormican.

He said speculation started early on in the search.

“I’ve never searched this much, this area so thoroughly, and not come up with something,” said Cormican.

Cormican spent 23 days on the water, nearly half the time Borgwardt had been missing. He was there when the Borgwardt family found out about the new developments.

“They were very shocked, as you can imagine, so very heartwrenching to the family,” said Cormican.

The Green Lake Sheriff’s Office will now work to identify any and all crimes committed and anyone who assisted with those crimes. The sheriff said they will also pursue restitution for the expenses of the search that have been funded by taxpayers.

This story was originally published by Mike Beiermeister at Scripps News Milwaukee.