A Wisconsin man who went missing after kayaking and was presumed dead actually faked his death and fled to Eastern Europe, abandoning his wife and three children, investigators said at a Nov. 8 press conference.
Ryan Borgwardt of Watertown, about 40 miles northeast of Madison, was reported missing on Aug. 12. Later that day, investigators found a capsized kayak and lifejacket in the middle of Green Lake. A vehicle, fishing rod and wallet belonging to Borgwardt were all left at the park nearby. What followed was an extensive 54 days of investigation involving specialized sonar equipment, a dive team and cadaver dogs.
With no luck, the investigation team, led by Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll, widened their search, finding something they “didn’t expect.”
A break in the investigation came when officials were informed that Canadian border patrol officers had looked up Borgwardt’s name on Aug. 13, the day after he was reported missing.
Borgwardt had reported his passport as missing in May and was issued a new one prior to his disappearance. But when Borgwardt’s wife searched their house, she easily found his old passport, leading Podoll to believe Borgwardt crossed the border with his newly issued second passport.
Investigators obtained a laptop belonging to Borgwardt and learned that he had planned to flee to Europe, with evidence such as taking out a life insurance policy, making inquiries about moving funds to foreign bank accounts, airline gift cards and “communication” with a woman in Uzbekistan, Podoll said.
"Due to these discoveries of the new evidence, we were sure that Ryan was not in our lake," Podoll said at the Nov. 8 press conference.
Now, Podoll said he and his team are “shifting gears,” issuing a plea to both the public and Borgwardt for any information they might have about his disappearance.
“Ryan, If you’re hearing this, I plead that you contact us or your family,” Podoll said. “There’s a family that wants their daddy back.”
Keith Cormican, founder of Bruce’s Legacy, a volunteer search team that aided in the search for Borgwardt, found the search and subsequent results especially “disheartening,” telling CBS 12 that he had spent about 23 days overall underwater during search rescue efforts.
“He definitely cost us a lot of grief, a lot of money, repairs and equipment. I just hope he comes forward sooner rather than later so the family can move on,” Cormican told The Associated Press.
At this time, Podoll said he doesn’t know what kinds of charges would be placed against Borgwardt or the cost the search incurred on local taxpayers, but he said the community showed support for the investigation efforts by providing investigators and volunteers food and gift cards.
