Missing Ryan Borgwardt: Wisconsin kayaker who faked death reveals how he staged drowning and fled US, sheriff says

Ryan Borgwardt, the husband and father of three, said authorities faked his own death in a Wisconsin lake and fled the country, is talking to police but not revealing his whereabouts, the local sheriff said.

In recent weeks, as authorities worked to find Borgwardt, they came in contact with a Russian-speaking woman, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said at a news conference Thursday.

“On November 11, I contacted Ryan through her. That was a big turning point,” he said.

When authorities got to Borgwardt, they asked him questions only he would know and asked him to film a video of himself, Podoll said.

In the selfie-style video, which was played at the press conference, Borgwardt appears to be in an apartment. He said the date was November 11th and he was safe.

Authorities believe he is in Eastern Europe, Podoll said, adding that he does not appear to be in danger.

“We don’t know exactly where Ryan is,” the sheriff said. “He hasn’t decided to go home yet.”

“I had almost daily communications with Ryan,” the sheriff said.

Borgwardt has not spoken to his wife or children, Podoll said.

The mysterious case began on the night of August 11, when Borgwardt texted his wife for the last time. He told her he was returning his kayak to Green Lake and heading to shore soon, Podoll said.

The 45-year-old man was reported missing the next day.

After Borgwardt’s overturned kayak and life jacket were discovered in the lake, responders believed the missing father had drowned, officials said.

Crews scoured the lake for weeks using divers, drones, sonar and cadaver K-9s, officials said.

The case took a turn in October when investigators discovered Borgwardt’s name had been checked by Canadian law enforcement on Aug. 13, the sheriff said.

Authorities also learned Borgwardt had been communicating with a woman in Uzbekistan, the sheriff said.

Other behavior included deleting browsers the day she disappeared, questions about moving funds to foreign banks, getting a new life insurance policy, getting a new passport and replacing the laptop’s hard drive, the sheriff said.

Podoll said Borgwardt revealed to authorities how he faked his death on the lake and fled the country.

“He hid an electric bike near the boat launch. He paddled his kayak into a child-sized floating boat in the lake. He overturned the kayak and threw his phone into the lake,” the sheriff said. “He rowed his inflatable boat to shore and got on his electric bike and rode the night to Madison, (Wisconsin). In Madison, he got on a bus and went to Detroit, then to the Canadian border. He continued by bus to an airport and boarded a plane.”

“We are continuing to verify this information,” the sheriff added.

One of the reasons Borgwardt chose Green Lake is because it is one of the deepest lakes in the state, Podoll said.

Borgwardt told authorities he didn’t think responders would spend more than two weeks looking for him, the sheriff said.

“It feels bad for the number of hours we’ve put in,” Podoll noted.

The family wants Borgwardt home, and Podoll said he wants Borgwardt back to “clean up the mess he created.”

The sheriff said authorities will continue to “pull on their heartstrings.”

“He needs to come home to his kids,” Podoll said.

The sheriff, looking emotional, ended the news conference by saying, “Christmas is coming and what better gift could he give his kids than to be there for Christmas with them?”

Borgwardt could face an obstruction charge, the sheriff said.

The county is seeking $35,000 to $40,000 in restitution, the sheriff said.