Cops: Wisconsin Kayaker Faked Death, Fled to Europe

A Wisconsin man apparently faked his own drowning this summer so he could abandon his family and flee to eastern Europe, investigators say. Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podell said in a news release Friday that the Dodge County Sheriff's Office informed his agency on Aug. 12 that Ryan Borgwardt, a 44-year-old father of three from Watertown, had gone missing after he went kayaking on Green Lake. Borgwardt's wife said that he texted her at 10:49pm on Aug. 11 saying he was heading to shore.

• Deputies located Borgwardt's vehicle and trailer near the lake. They also found his overturned kayak with a life jacket attached to it on the lake, in an area where the waters run more than 200 feet deep. An angler later discovered Borgwardt's fishing rod. Investigators had speculated that Borgwardt's kayak capsized and he didn't have a life jacket. The search for his body went on for more than 50 days, with divers on several occasions exploring the lake, the AP reports. Bruce's Legacy, a nonprofit organization that specializes in recovering drowning victims, searched about 1,500 acres, often in more than 100 feet of water, and scoured hours of sonar data and images to no avail.

• In early October, Podell's department learned that Canadian law enforcement authorities had run Borgwardt's name through their databases the day after he was reported missing. The news release did not say why they ran his name or offer any further details about the circumstances. Further investigation revealed that Borgwardt had reported his passport lost or stolen and had obtained a new one in May. His family easily found his original passport, the sheriff said in the release.
• An analysis of a laptop revealed a digital trail that shows Borgwardt had planned to head to Europe and tried to mislead investigators. The laptop's hard drive had been replaced and the browsers had been cleared on the day Borgwardt disappeared, Podell said in the news release. Investigators found passport photos, inquiries about moving funds to foreign banks, and communication with a woman from Uzbekistan. They also discovered that Borgwardt also took out a $375,000 life insurance policy in January 2024.

• "At this time we believe that Ryan is alive and likely in Eastern Europe," Podell said in the news release. He added that his agency will continue to work with federal and international law enforcement to determine whether Borgwardt committed any crimes and whether anyone helped him. The sheriff also plans to seek restitution for search expenses.
• Podoll said at a news conference Friday that Borgwardt's family is "doing rather well," though the children, two sons in high school and a daughter in grade school, were shocked by the findings, the Washington Post reports. He said their mother had been assisting investigators for weeks. "I put a lot on her shoulders," he said. "That is one strong lady."
• Keith Cormican runs Bruce's Legacy in honor of his brother, Bruce, a Black River Falls firefighter who drowned searching for a drowning victim in 1995. He called the Borgwardt search "disheartening," saying he could have used the time he spent searching for Borgwardt helping other families.
• "Ryan, if you are viewing this, I plead that you contact us or contact your family," the sheriff said Friday. "We understand that things can happen, but there's a family that wants their daddy back."

(More faked death stories.)