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A US man who faked his own death and fled the nation, forsaking his household, has despatched investigators in his dwelling state of Wisconsin a video to show that he’s protected.
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, vanished on 12 August whereas on a solo fishing journey, the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office mentioned in a information convention on Thursday.
Police initially suspected that he had drowned and searched the lake for 54 days, earlier than discovering digital proof that led them to suspect he had fled to Eastern Europe.
The authorities mentioned Mr Borgwardt owes them $40,000 (£32,000) for the price of their search and may very well be charged with obstructing the investigation into his disappearance.
Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll informed a press convention on Thursday that the authorities had been in touch with Mr Borgwardt since earlier this month, after contacting a lady who speaks Russian.
She helped join him to police. Law enforcement didn’t element who the lady was or her connection to Mr Borgwardt.
“The great news is he’s still alive and well,” Mr Podoll mentioned. “The bad news is that we don’t know where exactly Ryan is, and he has not decided to return home.”
The 24-second video that Mr Borgwardt despatched to the authorities is shot selfie-style, and reveals him in an condo with white partitions.
“Good evening, it’s Ryan Borgwardt,” he says. “Today is 11 November. It’s approximately 10 am by you guys. I’m in my apartment.
“I am safe, secure, no problem. I hope this works.”
During their near-daily exchanges, Mr Borgwardt allegedly revealed to police how he orchestrated his getaway.
Police say that after sinking his kayak and mobile phone in the lake, he paddled a small child-sized boat to shore where he had stashed an E-bike. He cycled overnight to Madison, Wisconsin, then boarded a bus to Detroit and got on a plane in Canada to an unknown location.
“We are continuing to verify this information, trying to put the dots together,” Mr Podoll said. “But we feel that this was Ryan’s way that he could tell the entire country how he did it.”
Mr Borgwardt is thought to have acted alone. Mr Podoll added that he has not had any contact with his family since he left.
He left behind three children and his wife. In the days before his departure, authorities found he had taken out a $375,000 (£297,875) life insurance policy, had transferred funds to a foreign bank account, photographed his new passport, and altered his email address. He had also been in contact online with a woman in Uzbekistan.
When asked about his possible motivation for faking his own death, Mr Podoll said “he simply had private issues occurring and he thought this was the proper factor to do”.
He added that police have been emailing Mr Borgwardt, “pulling at his heartstrings” in an effort to coax him back home and “clean up the mess that he has created”.
The sheriff became emotional during Thursday’s press conference, saying that his children will be without their father during the holiday season.
“Christmas is developing,” he said. “And what higher a present to offer these children than to be there for Christmas.”
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