Authorities in Green Lake, Wisconsin, say that a local man who went missing while kayaking this summer may have staged his own death and fled to Europe.Mr. Borgwardt had last texted his wife on the night of 11 August. The message said he was turning his kayak around and heading to shore soon.But when he failed to return home, his family contacted law enforcement, who sent out a search-and-rescue team, which found his capsized kayak and life jacket on the lake. Mr. Borgwardt’s car, trailer, fishing rod, and wallet were all left at the park nearby. The case took a turn in October when investigators discovered Mr. Borgwardt’s name had been checked by border officials in Canada on 13 August, the day after he was reported missing. Following this lead, officials conducted a digital forensic analysis of Mr. Borgwardt’s laptop, and they found that he had taken out a $375,000 life insurance policy, had transferred funds to a foreign bank account, photographed his new passport, and altered his email address before he vanished. Authorities also found indications that he may have traveled to a location in Europe.While the investigation continues, the sheriff’s office told the BBC they are evaluating the appropriate criminal charges that could include obstruction and fraudulent activity.“She has done everything that we have asked of her in regards to helping us with information and holding on to information,” Mr. Vande Kolk told the BBC. “Unfortunately, we had to keep this quiet for about a month from the time that we started thinking that he was somewhere else, until we had enough information that we could share with the world, and she did that.”