WI Kayaker Who Faked Death Reveals How He Fled to Europe: Sheriff

GREEN LAKE, WI — A Wisconsin man who faked his own death, abandoned his wife and three children, and fled to Eastern Europe has been in contact with authorities, the Green Lake County Sheriff said Thursday.

Ryan Borgwardt reached out to Wisconsin law enforcement on Nov. 11. He has shared videos of himself and described how he staged his own death, according to Sheriff Mark Podoll.

"I’m safe and secure, no problem," Borgwardt, 45, said. He contacted authorities through a female that spoke Russian, the sheriff said.

Borgwardt told police that he traveled about 50 miles from his home in Watertown to Green Lake, where he overturned his kayak, dumped his phone in the lake, and then paddled an inflatable boat to shore.

He picked that lake because it's the deepest in Wisconsin at 237 feet.

After staging his death at the lake, Borgwardt traveled 70 miles overnight on an electric bike to Madison, where he boarded a bus to Detroit. From there, he took another bus to Canada and ultimately caught a flight to Europe, according to the sheriff.

"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."

Whether Podoll returns is of his own free will, but law enforcement is "pulling at his heartstrings" to come home. "Christmas is coming....What better gift could your kids get than to be there for Christmas?"

Borgwardt could face charges, including obstructing the investigation into his disappearance, according to Podoll.

Family's Search Leads to Shocking Revelation

Borgwardt went missing on Aug. 12 in Wisconsin's Green Lake. His family has been looking for him ever since.

On Nov. 8, Wisconsin authorities announced they were confident that Borgwardt was not in the lake but rather traveling internationally.

"Ryan, if you are viewing this, I plead that you contact us or contact your family. We understand that things can happen, but there’s a family that wants their daddy back," Podoll said through tears during that initial news conference.

Shortly after he was reported missing, deputies found Borgwardt's capsized kayak, fishing rod, wallet, license, and keys. His vehicle was also discovered at Dodge Memorial Park.

But Borgwardt's body was never found despite an extensive search effort from law enforcement — including cadaver dogs and a dive team — and many volunteers.

When the lake turned up empty, authorities broadened their investigation and learned that Borgwardt received a new passport in May that was used to enter Canada on Aug. 13.

Borgwardt also left behind a laptop revealing that he had been communicating online with a woman from Uzbekistan, opened a new bank account, and researched transferring funds to foreign banks. He also purchased a $375,000 life insurance policy in January and purchased airline cards.

"Due to these discoveries of the new evidence, we were sure that Ryan was not in our lake," said Podoll on Nov. 8. "Our investigation has many steps to take. It’s a puzzle that we’re putting together. We’ve got many pieces, but we’ve got a lot more pieces to find."

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.