Eerie video emerges of 'missing man' as authorities suspect he may have 'faked his own death'

A haunting video has surfaced on social media of a missing man police suspect may have "faked" his own death.

Back in June, a content creator who goes by the handle @TheAuthenticAlpha shared a video on TikTok that has taken on eerie significance in the wake of his disappearance.

The clip begins with the creator sitting by the beach holding up a sign that reads: “Ask me for free advice." An unidentified man on a bike stopped to chat, and asked: “Do I go to Uzbekistan or stay here?”

The woman tries to get more information out of the man, to which he reveals he wanted to go “to meet a woman” despite being married. She then tells him that he has to discuss it with his wife before he leaves the country.

Social media sleuths were convinced the man in the video was missing father-of-three Ryan Borgwardt, who disappeared in August on a fishing trip at Green Lake in Wisconsin, BBC News reported.

"Is this really Ryan Borgwardt?? And recorded before his missing?" someone wrote, while another exclaimed: "Omfg it’s him !!!!!’ How is this not blowing up !"

Police discovered Borgwardt's car alongside a capsized kayak, fishing gear, a wallet, keys, and license. But after a grueling 54-day search, they did not recover a body.

Despite the chilling similarities between the missing man and the unidentified man in the video, authorities say they have verified it is not him.

“WE DO NOT BELIEVE THE TIKTOK VIDEO IS RYAN. WE ARE IN CONTACT WITH THE INTERVIEWER. THANK YOU TO ALL FOR ALERTING US OF ITS EXISTENCE. We have verified this is not Ryan by contacting people who know Ryan,” the sheriff’s office posted on Facebook.

The Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office revealed on November 8 that Borgwardt is possibly alive and not in the lake at all.

Officials conducted a digital forensic analysis of the man's laptop, and discovered that he had taken out a $375,000 life insurance policy, transferred money to a foreign bank account, photographed his new passport, and changed his email address before he vanished.

They also found out that Borgwardt replaced the laptop’s hard drive, deleted his browser history the day he disappeared, and also found signs that he may have traveled to a location in Europe.

According to News.com.au, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll implored Borgwardt to contact police or his family.

He described the man’s wife as “one strong lady,” and said while they had “many” pieces in the investigation, there was still “a lot more pieces to find”.

Featured image credit: Thinkstock Images / Getty