Wife of Kayaker Who Faked His Death Wants a Separation

UPDATE Dec 12, 2024 6:40 PM CST

Already hit with a criminal charge upon his return to the US after faking his death, Ryan Borgwardt now is looking at a petition from his wife for a legal separation. Wisconsin court records show Emily Borgwardt filed Thursday in Dodge County Circuit Court, the AP reports. The document calls their marriage "irretrievably broken." The filing says that the couple has been married for 22 years and that Emily Borgwardt is seeking sole custody of their three teenage children.

Dec 12, 2024 3:00 AM CST

A Wisconsin man who faked his own drowning and left his wife and three children for Eastern Europe willingly returned to the US after four months and was charged Wednesday with obstructing an intense lake search for his body, the AP reports. The criminal complaint charging Ryan Borgwardt with misdemeanor obstruction offers a detailed account of how the 45-year-old pulled off his disappearance, including how he struggled to emerge from the water, almost didn't make it through customs on his way overseas, and was living in the country of Georgia when he realized he had left too many clues behind.

Police said Borgwardt turned himself in to authorities at the Green Lake County sheriff's office in Wisconsin on Tuesday. A judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf during a brief court hearing on Wednesday afternoon. He was released on $500 bail, although he would only have to pay that amount if he misses a future court date. It's unclear what Borgwardt plans to do now. His parents were in court, but he was led out by bailiffs after the proceeding ended without speaking to them. Among the new details revealed: He told investigators he barely got through Canadian customs because he didn't have his driver's license, which he had thrown in the lake when staging his death.

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The sheriff's office has said the search for Borgwardt's body lasted more than a month and cost at least $35,000. Borgwardt told investigators he often checked the news for updates on his disappearance and thought the search would last only a few weeks, according to the complaint. Borgwardt told investigators that he knew police would find him but he wanted to delay their efforts for as long as he could, according to the complaint.

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