The authorities spent weeks searching a Wisconsin lake for the man’s body before discovering that he had moved money into a foreign bank account and had been communicating with a woman in Uzbekistan.

Ryan Borgwardt, a resident of Watertown, Wisconsin, vanished in mid-August after an apparent kayaking accident on Green Lake. But what initially appeared to be a tragic accident may be an elaborate ruse involving digital deception, travel documents and life insurance.

Investigators say they believe a Wisconsin kayaker missing since mid-August faked his death before fleeing to Europe.

After father of three Ryan Borgwardt disappeared while kayaking, officials believe he may have faked his own death due to a recent life insurance policy and communications with an Uzbekistani woman.

Ryan Borgwardt, a married father of three, has been missing since August after leaving for a relaxing fishing trip on Green Lake, about an hour north of his home in Watertown, Wisconsin. Investigators now suspect the experienced kayaker faked his own death and fled to Europe via Canada.

A Wisconsin father-of-three who vanished during a kayaking trip faked his disappearance and fled to Europe, local authorities announced. Ryan Borgwardt, 45, was reported missing by his family on August 12 when he didn’t return home from his trip to Green Lake.