Sheriff Mark Podoll held a press conference Thursday on the case of Ryan Borgwardt, who faked his drowning this summer in Green Lake, Wis.
Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office via AP
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Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office via AP
After a missing person case baffled Wisconsin authorities for more than three months, a missing person has finally come forward, saying he’s still alive.
Ryan Borgwardt, 44, disappeared in August while on a kayaking trip. At first, authorities believed he had drowned. But a thorough investigation – which involved cadaver dogs, divers and federal law enforcement – revealed that Borgwardt had intended to fake his death and live somewhere in Eastern Europe.
Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said Friday that his office has been in contact with Borgwardt for two weeks. The Borgwardt family has also been notified.
“The good news is we know he’s alive and well, the bad news is we don’t know exactly where Ryan is and he hasn’t decided to come home,” Podoll said at a news conference.
The sheriff showed a short life proof video posted by Borgwardt from Nov. 11. In the video, Borgwardt — who has not disclosed his exact location to authorities — shows off his new apartment. “I’m safe, safe – no problem,” he said.
Podoll said Borgwardt gave “multiple reasons” for committing the death.
“He just had a personal problem and he felt this was what he had to do,” Podoll said, adding that there was no evidence to suggest it was related to criminal activity or personal danger.
The sheriff said he could not comment on possible federal charges, but Green Lake County will seek restitution. that his office spent between $35,000 and $40,000 on the search for Borgwardt.
Podoll added that while no warrant has been issued, this could change if Borgwardt does not cooperate and returns home.
A three-month search
On August 12, the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office received a call that Borgwardt had not returned home after kayaking in Green Lake. Borgwardt had called his wife the night before, saying he was almost done and headed for the beach, Podoll said at a Nov. 8 news conference.
Deputies immediately launched a search, using boats and sonar to survey the lake. They found a car, a kayak, a life jacket and a tackle box that included a driver’s license, keys and wallet. However, Borgwardt’s body was never found.
The sheriff’s office remains. Over the next few weeks, they sent a drone, a dive team and three cadaver dogs to help with the search. Keith Cormican of Bruce’s Legacy, a volunteer group based in Wisconsin that helps search and recover drowning victims, spent 28 days on the lake looking for Borgwardt, according to Podoll.
By October, hope was dashed. Podoll said he is directing the investigation. Soon, he discovered that the Canadian authorities had reveal Borgwardt’s name on August 13.
“This is something we didn’t expect,” he said.
Podoll then had a digital forensics analyst examine Borgwardt’s laptop, which revealed that the father of three had transferred funds to a foreign bank, taken passport photos, exchanged emails, communicated with a woman in Uzbekistan, and taken $375,000. insurance policies in January.
“Because of the discovery of this new evidence, we are confident that Ryan is not in our lake,” Podoll said.
How Borgwardt ran away
Borgwardt’s plan to fake his death and flee the country had been going on for months. He told authorities he chose to get lost in Green Lake because it is the deepest lake in Wisconsin, according to Podoll.
On the day of his disappearance, Borgwardt carefully stashed his e-bike near the lake before taking it off in an inflatable boat the size of a child, while carrying a kayak.
At the lake, he flipped the kayak, threw away the phone, and took a small boat to the beach. From there, he rode his e-bike about 70 miles to Madison, where he took a bus to Detroit and then to the Canadian border, before boarding a plane.
“One of the things they said is that they don’t expect it to take more than two weeks to find them,” Podoll said. “Well, I hate to say it, you picked the wrong sheriff and the wrong department.”
Podoll added that Borgwardt said take out a life insurance policy for his family and express remorse for his actions, as well as the time and resources he spent looking for them.
“He said, ‘You know, I’m in this situation and I’ve got to try to get out of it,'” Podoll said.
