A Wisconsin man staged his own death in a bizarre escape plan to abandon his family, but confirmed he was alive and well in an undisclosed location months later.
Wisconsin man found alive by police
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, orchestrated the elaborate scheme by tipping his kayak over on Green Lake on August 11.
He left his belongings and phone in the water before paddling to safety on an inflatable raft and biking over 50 miles to Madison overnight, according to the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities later confirmed Borgwardt crossed into Canada days after his disappearance and had been communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan.
Through her, detectives contacted Borgwardt, challenging him with personal questions only he could answer and requesting he record a video of himself.
Agreeing, Borgwardt appeared in the video showing off an apartment and stating, “I am safe, secure, no problems.”
Despite remaining in regular communication with officials, Borgwardt hasn’t revealed his exact location. Authorities suspect he might be in Eastern Europe and do not believe he’s at risk.
Sheriff Mark Podoll shared during a Thursday press conference that, “He has not decided to come back home.”
How the man who his faked death did it
Podoll added that reestablishing contact with the Wisconsin man who faked his death marked a breakthrough in the case.
For months, investigators worked tirelessly, deploying divers, drones, sonar equipment, and cadaver-trained K-9 units to search for his body in the lake.
The operation, according to officials, carried a hefty price tag of $35,000 to $40,000. Despite his cooperation now, Borgwardt could still face obstruction charges.
Reflecting on the resources spent, the sheriff revealed that Borgwardt wasn’t aware that such an effort was going to be made to locate his body.
Podoll noted that he did not believe the search would go beyond more than two weeks and, “He feels bad about the amount hours we’ve put in.”
Authorities had been hunting for him for 54 days before announcing on November 8 that they no longer believed he drowned but rather staged his disappearance.
According to their findings, Borgwardt initiated contact with the Uzbek woman months prior to vanishing.
He secured a $375,000 life insurance policy and a new passport in January, using the latter to slip into Canada the day after being reported missing.
Sheriff Podoll described the level of planning as intricate. Before his vanishing act, Borgwardt purposely left his old passport at home, wiped his computer, and removed its hard drive.
He also changed all his online banking email addresses and shifted funds into offshore accounts.
Wisconsin man abandons family
Meanwhile, his family endured unimaginable turmoil. His wife, Emily, and their three children were grieving, convinced their husband and father had drowned in the lake.
“They thought that their dad was drowned,” Podoll said at a press conference on Nov. 11. “A day ago, they found out that he wasn’t.”
Emily has been described as “one strong lady” by the sheriff, who commended her unwavering cooperation with the investigation.
Speaking about her ordeal, Podoll said, “I cannot imagine what she is going through, and they’re going through.”
Emily and Ryan celebrated 22 years of marriage this past July, just a month ahead of his disappearance.
With the mystery now somewhat unraveled, friends and family have urged Emily to join other support groups for women dealing with absent or runaway spouses.
Appearing visibly moved during the press conference, Sheriff Podoll directly addressed Borgwardt, urging, “Christmas is coming, and what better gift he could give his kids is to be there for Christmas with them?”
“He needs to come home to his kids,” he added.
