A dad who ‘faked his own death’ has come out of hiding but there’s one big catch. He’s refused to say where he actually is.
Ryan Bogwardt disappeared in the summer while taking a solo kayaking trip at Green Lake, Wisconsin, US.
The 45-year-old was last seen in the area on 12 August but a search soon launched when his capsized kayak and life jacket were found.
Divers, drones, sonar and specialist dogs were used in a huge rescue operation to find the dad-of-three but suspicions soon arose.
It was found that just a day after he ‘vanished’, his name had been checked by police in Canada.
Yep, authorities believe Bogwardt faked his own death and fled the country.
His family apparently haven’t heard from him since August. (Facebook)
Analysis of a laptop exposed a digital trail the husband had left behind, showing he had planned to get off to Europe and tried to mislead investigators, according to AP.
And now, over three months later, authorities reckon they’ve tracked the mysterious man down. But again, the big problem is they still don’t know exactly where is, according to the local sheriff.
Authorities worked to track Bogwardt down and managed to make contact with a woman who speaks Russian.
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Green Lake County Sherriff Mark Podoll said at a news conference yesterday (21 November): “On Nov. 11, we got in contact with Ryan through her. That was a big turning point.”
He also added that officers tried to keep ‘pulling at his heartstrings’ to get him to return to the US. “Christmas is coming,” the sheriff said, “what better gift could your kids get than to be there for Christmas?”
When authorities got to speak to him, they asked him to film himself and answer questions that would prove his identify.
In return, they received a selfie-style video saying he was safe and looking as though he was in an apartment. Take a look:
Podoll added: “The great news is we know that he is alive and well.
“The bad news is we don’t know where Ryan exactly is, and he has not yet decided to return home.”
Authorities think he may be in Eastern Europe and said he doesn’t appear to be in any danger.
“We do not know where Ryan exactly is,” the sheriff said. “He has not yet decided to return home.”
He’s speaking to authorities but not his family apparently. (Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office)
While they have had ‘nearly daily communications’ with Bogwardt, he has not spoken to his wife or kids.
It’s speculated by officers that he may have faked his death to meet up with a woman he had been in contact with in Uzbekistan, according to AP.
Featured Image Credit: Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office / Facebook
Topics: US News
Dylan Riley was out playing frisbee in the sun last October when one little thing caused his life to change forever.
The 31-year-old, a self-described ‘klutz’, tripped over when picking up the disc, causing a small cut on his knee. And his mum, an infectious disease nurse, ruled out an infection at first.
However, this common injury ended up leading to the American having his limbs amputated after being found on ‘death’s doorstep’.
Two weeks later, Riley woke up feeling like he had the flu – he was sweaty with a fever, his body was aching and he couldn’t stop throwing up. He decided to get in a hot bath to see if that would help, but when he got out, he couldn’t move.
With his roommate ringing an ambulance, he remembers the paramedics asking questions but then, ‘everything went black’.
Dylan Riley’s body began shutting down (Facebook)
Once Riley got to the Baptist Integris Hospital, he was diagnosed with the rare, life-threatening infection, streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). The same bacteria that causes strep throat had gotten into his bloodstream.
Dr. Bob Schoaps, Medical Director for Specialty Critical Care and Acute Mechanical Circulatory Support at the hospital, told People: “He came into our hospital severely sick, on death’s doorstep practically.”
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His organs began shutting down, with doctors having to revive him twice.
Dr. Schoaps added that if Riley had stayed at home for a few more hours that day, ‘it’s very likely he would not have survived’.
He added that the typical survival rate is around 10 percent or less.
Having received the dreaded call that her son was on the brink of death, Trina White said she got to the emergency room and was told: “We don’t have time, do you want to put him on life support or not.”
He’s since received prosthetic legs (Facebook)
After a few days, Riley’s limbs, even the tips of ears, started turning black meaning the skin tissue was dying.
The man doesn’t remember anything about the first five days in hospital and when he did regain consciousness, he knew something was up because his divorced parents were in the room together.
Riley was then told he may have to lose a limb. And while surgeons determined how much they could save, he was dealing with his body peeling ‘like a snake would’ – even his taste buds peeled off.
His legs were amputated in the week before Christmas 2023, before part of his hands in January.
Over the past year, he’s been doing rehab with his prosthetic legs and has returned to doing some of his favourite hobbies with his mates.
Keeping things light by posting images of himself alongside the Gingerbread man from Shrek, Riley said: “I’m grateful for life. Things could be so different. My family could have been planning a funeral.”
Featured Image Credit: Facebook
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