Missing dad who vanished on fishing trip confirms he is alive after staging his own death

A missing father-of-three who is accused of faking his own death on a fishing trip in the US has provided proof he is alive – and even shared how he fled the country.

A missing dad who is accused of faking his own death on a fishing trip in the US has proved he is alive in a video sent to authorities.

Ryan Borgwardt disappeared in August at Green Lake in the state of Wisconsin, sparking a 54-day search.

The 45-year-old’s car was there, along with a capsized kayak. Fishing gear was also found with a wallet, keys and Mr Borgwardt’s licence. But an extensive search did not uncover his body.

Then in a bombshell update on November 8, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll revealed new evidence to suggest Mr Borgwardt was not in the lake at all.

Just hours ago, Mr Podoll fronted the media again, confirming they have located the missing father-of-three very much alive.

The sheriff said they got in contact with Mr Borgwardt on November 11 through a woman who spoke Russian.

“That was a big turning point and our biggest concern that we had was that he was safe and well,” Mr Podoll said.

“We asked him a number of questions that pertain to him and his family that he would only know, and then we asked for a video of himself and he furnished that.”

In a short video, Mr Borgwardt introduces himself and confirms the date before panning around the room.

“I’m in my apartment. I am safe, secure, no problem. Hope this works,” he says.

Mr Podoll said they still do not know exactly where Mr Borgwardt is but that he is in eastern Europe.

Ryan Borgwardt sent a video to authorities to prove he is alive. Picture: Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office

Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll shared the huge update in the case on November 21, local time.

Authorities have kept up contact and Mr Borgwardt even shared with them how he fled the country.

“He stashed an e-bike near the boat launch. He paddled his kayak and a child size floating boat out into the lake. He overturned the kayak and dumped his phone in the lake,” Mr Podoll said.

“He paddled the inflatable boat to shore and got on his e-bike and rode through the night to Madison. In Madison, he boarded a bus and went to Detroit and then the Canadian border.

“He continued on the bus to an airport and got on a plane.”

Mr Podoll said they were working to verify this information.

He had earlier revealed that in October, Canadian authorities had ran Mr Borgwardt’s passport the day after he went missing, among other evidence.

“We found out that he moved funds to a foreign bank, changing [of] his email, and communication with a woman in Uzbekistan,” Mr Podoll said on November 8.

“He took out a $US375,000 [about $A580,500] life insurance policy in January and he purchased airline [gift] cards.”

The bizarre twist received global attention.

Mr Borgwardt is yet to contact his wife and children.

Mr Podoll is still hoping Mr Borgwardt will cooperate and return home without the use of warrants.

He said Mr Borgwardt’s “biggest concern” was how the community will react after “he staged his death”.

“One of the things that he did say was, he didn’t expect us to go more than two weeks in searching for him,” Mr Podoll said, sharing that the lake was chosen because it is the deepest in the state.

“Well I hate to tell you, he picked the wrong sheriff and the wrong department.”

Mr Borgwardt has not been in contact with his family, Mr Podoll said.

An emotional Mr Podoll concluded his press conference, saying: “Christmas is coming and what better gift he could give his kids is to be there for Christmas with them”.

He said his team were considering an obstructing charge for Mr Borgwardt staging his death, but there may be other federal charges he could not speak to.

Green Lake County will also be seeking restitution in the range of $US35,000 to $US45,000 (A$53,000 to $A70,000) for the search, including $US7000 ($A10,000) in equipment expenses and wages.