Missing Wisconsin kayaker thought dead, faked death, sends selfie video to authorities

 A Wisconsin kayaker believed to have died this past summer on the water is alive, according to authorities.

When tracked down by police, the missing man, 45-year-old Ryan Borgwardt, provided them with a video proving he's alive, authorities said Thursday. 

Borgwardt is a husband and father of three. He fled the U.S. after his staged death in August to meet with a woman, according to United Press International. 

Borgwardt's overturned kayak and life jacket were found floating in a lake after he told his wife via cellphone that he was on the water in his craft. 

Police in Wisconsin's Green Lake County tracked down Borgwardt in just the past few weeks, through a woman who speaks Russian, Sheriff Mark Podoll said at a news conference Thursday.

In the selfie video, Borgwardt said he was safe and provide details about how, until now, how was able to pul off his accidental death. As of Friday his whereabouts was still unclear, but he is believed to be in Eastern Europe. 

Officials got a lead in the case when they discovered that Canadian police had run his name on Aug. 13 which led to them learning that he had been communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan, the wire service also reports.