SAN DIEGO — A Wisconsin man who faked his own death three months ago has been found safe, thanks in part to national media attention sparked by a viral TikTok video recorded in Pacific Beach. Ryan Borgwardt, a 45-year-old father of three from Green Lake, Wisconsin, was discovered alive in Eastern Europe after an elaborate scheme to disappear.
The Green Lake County Sheriff's office had been searching for Borgwardt for months after he went missing on August 11 while fishing in a kayak on a 200-foot deep lake. It has now been revealed that Borgwardt faked his own death by capsizing his kayak and then taking a bus across the Canadian border.
"The information that the Green Lake County has at this point leads us to an obstructing charge," said the Sheriff during a Thursday news conference.
The breakthrough in the case came when a Russian-speaking woman put authorities in contact with Borgwardt, who is now believed to be somewhere in Eastern Europe. The Sheriff's office released a video of Borgwardt to prove he is alive and safe.
"Good evening, it's Ryan Borgwardt," the man says in the video. "I'm in my apartment."
Interestingly, a viral TikTok video recorded in Pacific Beach in June, two months before Borgwardt's disappearance, initially sparked speculation about his whereabouts. The video, which has garnered 13 million views, shows a man bearing a striking resemblance to Borgwardt discussing travel to Uzbekistan to meet a woman, despite being married.
However, the Green Lake Sheriff has claimed that the man in the TikTok video is not Borgwardt. Baylee Boomhower, the creator of the viral video, said, "I understand that the sheriff said that they don't think it's him. It's just very interesting the resemblance and the story behind it."
It has since been revealed that Borgwardt left his wife and children in August after meeting a woman from Uzbekistan online.
The Green Lake Sheriff's office reports spending approximately $40,000 on the search for Borgwardt. Despite the likelihood of criminal charges, authorities are still hoping for his return home.
Boomhower, the social media influencer, had this advice to Borgwardt: "I think the most important thing for you is to patch it up with your family because regardless of your actions they are still going to have that unconditional love for you."
WATCH: Full video from TikTok: