A Wisconsin father who faked his drowning in August has been found alive in Eastern Europe, authorities announced Thursday. Ryan Borgwardt, who disappeared while kayaking on Green Lake, has been in regular contact with police since Nov. 11.
Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll shared a video sent by Borgwardt during a news conference, broadcasted by FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, which confirmed the missing father was alive and well.
“The great news is we know that he is alive and well,” Podoll said. “The bad news is we don’t know where Ryan exactly is and he has not yet decided to return home.”
Authorities believe Borgwardt is somewhere in Eastern Europe but are unsure of his exact location. They have been communicating with him daily, urging him to return to his family.
“He needs to return home to his children,” Podoll said. “If he chooses not to return, it’s on his own free will. … We keep pulling at his heartstrings.”
The case began on Aug. 11 when Borgwardt texted his wife that he was heading to shore after kayaking. When he didn’t return, a search was launched. His overturned kayak and fishing gear were found in the lake, leading investigators to initially believe he had drowned.
Deputies found Borgwardt’s vehicle and trailer near the lake, along with his capsized kayak and life jacket in an area where the water is more than 200 feet deep, according to initial reports. An angler later found Borgwardt’s fishing rod.
The search for Borgwardt’s body lasted more than 50 days, involving divers, boats, sonar, and drones. The Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office also received help from other agencies and a volunteer search and recovery group called Bruce’s Legacy.
However, the investigation took a turn in early October when Canadian law enforcement revealed they had run Borgwardt’s name through their databases the day after he was reported missing, which showed he had obtained a new passport in May after reporting his old one lost or stolen.
A review of his laptop also found evidence he had planned the whole thing. The hard drive had been replaced, browser history cleared, and investigators found passport photos, searches about moving money to foreign banks, and communication with a woman from Uzbekistan, authorities said.
Borgwardt had also taken out a $375,000 life insurance policy in January, Podoll said in the latest update, which was allegedly to take care of his family.
In recent communications with investigators, Borgwardt explained how he staged his disappearance. Borgwardt told investigators that he hid an e-bike near the lake, paddled out in an inflatable boat, overturned his kayak, and dumped his phone in the water. He then rode the e-bike to Madison, took a bus to Detroit, and flew out of Canada, according to Sheriff Podoll.
He said he chose Green Lake because of the deep water and that he didn’t expect the investigation to last more than two weeks.
“One of the reasons why he picked Green Lake is because it was the deepest lake in Wisconsin. He did research, he thought his plan was going to pan out, but it didn’t … so we’re trying to give him a different plan to come back home,” he told reporters during the recent conference.
Bordwardt has not contacted his family since his disappearance, Podoll confirmed to reporters.
Podoll said Borgwardt has also admitted in private communications with investigators to feeling bad for his family and the number of hours rescue crews have put in during the search.
He said Borgwardt claims he faked his death because “he just had personal matters going on and he felt this was the right thing to do … there was talk about the life insurance plan that he took out. It wasn’t for him, it was for his family,” he said.
No charges have been filed yet, but Green Lake County is seeking restitution for the search efforts.
During a news conference earlier this month, Podoll had asked for privacy for the family.
“They thought that their dad was drowned. A day ago, they found out that he wasn’t,” Podoll said at the time.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.