Officials in Wisconsin believe a man who disappeared after kayaking on a lake this summer is alive and well. He may have faked his death and traveled to Europe – after taking out a life insurance policy and communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan.

Ryan Borgwardt — a married father of two — went missing on Aug. 12 and his last known location was Green Lake, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said during a news briefing Friday.

Officers found a capsized kayak in the lake and Borgwardt’s vehicle and trailer parked in Dodge Memorial County Park, Podoll said.

A fishing rod that Borgwardt’s wife identified as belonging to him and a fishing box containing his wallet, license and keys were also found, Podoll said. The volunteer organization Bruce’s Legacy helped search for Borgwardt’s body in the lake, but it was never found.

On August 24, three cadaver dogs and a dive team were deployed to assist in the search. An extensive search lasting nearly eight weeks turned up no findings, Podoll said.

Podoll said the investigation shifted focus across the Atlantic when it was discovered that Borgwardt’s passport was “managed” on August 13, the day after he disappeared.

That day, law enforcement officials in Canada ran Borgwardt’s name, Green Lake County authorities said. Chief Deputy Matthew L. Vande Kolk said by email that investigators discovered the data check on Oct. 7.

Through the Canadian name search, researchers from Wisconsin learned that Borgwardt had received a new passport. “We learned that he reported his original passport as lost or stolen and was issued a new passport,” the chief deputy said.

Borgwardt’s former passport was “easily found” through his wife, he said. “We expect that he traveled with the ‘new’ passport,” said Vande Kolk.

Meanwhile, the discovery that Canadian authorities had checked his passport prompted investigators to conduct a digital forensic analysis of Borgwardt’s laptop.

“When we looked, we discovered he was somewhere in Europe,” Podoll said, claiming Borgwardt had replaced the laptop’s hard drive and wiped his browser the day he disappeared.

Borgwardt also allegedly took photos of his passport, transferred money to a foreign bank and changed his email address, and was believed to be communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan, Podoll said. In January, he took out a $375,000 life insurance policy.

“These discoveries of the new evidence made us certain that Ryan was not in our lake,” Podoll said.

Podoll said the investigation still has many missing pieces, including a motive and where he is now.

“Our goal is to identify all crimes committed by individuals who assisted in this crime,” Podoll said, adding that the sheriff’s office will pursue compensation for taxpayer-funded search efforts.

Podoll said it is too early to determine what charges Borgwardt could face.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are assisting in the investigation.

Podoll asked anyone with information about Borgwardt to call the sheriff’s office. Tips can be left anonymously, he said.

“Ryan, if you are watching this, I urge you to contact us or contact your family,” Podoll said. “We understand that things can happen, but there is a family that wants their father back.”