A US person who said he faked his death and fled the country, leaving his family behind, he has been in contact with the police in his district and sent investigators a video proving that he is safe.
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, disappeared on Aug. 12 while on a solo fishing trip, the Green Lake County Sheriff's Office in Wisconsin said at a press conference Thursday.
Police initially suspected he had drowned and searched the lake for 54 days before finding digital evidence that led them to suspect he had fled to Eastern Europe.
“The good news is he's alive and well,” said Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podell. “The bad news is that we don't know where Ryan really is, and he hasn't decided to come home yet.”
The 24-second video was shot as a selfie, and shows Mr Borgwardt in an apartment with white walls.
He says: “Hello, this is Ryan Borgwardt. “Today is the 11th of November. It's almost ten o'clock in the morning for you. I am in my house.
“I'm safe, I'm protected, there's no problem. I hope this works.”
Police have been emailing him, “pulling at his heartstrings” and trying to persuade him to come home and “clean up the mess he's made,” the official said.
Authorities contacted him after contacting a Russian-speaking woman in the region. He helped put her in touch with the police. Law enforcement did not specify who the woman was or if she was connected to Mr. Borgwardt
During the daily interviews, he is said to have revealed to the police how he was planning his escape.
MORE: Authorities say American man faked kayaking death and fled to Europe
Police said that after submerging his kayak and cellphone in the lake, he rowed a small child-sized boat to the shore where he hid the E-bike. He biked overnight to Madison, Wisconsin, then boarded a bus to Detroit and boarded a plane from Canada to an unknown destination.
“We're continuing to verify this information, trying to connect the dots,” Podoll said. But we feel that this was Ryan's way of telling the rest of the world how he did it.”
It is believed that he was working alone, he said. He added that Mr Borgwardt has not been in contact with his family since he left.
He left behind three children and his wife. Days before his departure, authorities discovered he had taken out a $375,000 (£297,875) life insurance policy, transferred the funds to a foreign bank account, scanned his new passport, and changed his email address.
Podoll said there were currently no criminal charges pending against Mr Borgwardt, but police said they owed them $40,000 (£32,000) for the cost of their search.
At the end of his conference, the sheriff became emotional, saying that his children will lose their father during the holidays.
“Christmas is coming,” she said. “And what better gift to give those kids than to be there for Christmas.”
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