What happened to Ryan Borgwardt? Missing father may have faked his own death

A missing Wisconsin husband and father of three who was initially believed to have drowned in a local lake may have faked his own death and fled to Europe for another woman, authorities say.

Ryan Borgwardt, 45, was last known to be at Green Lake on August 11. That night, he texted his wife saying he turned his kayak around and was headed for shore, but he never went home, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said. at a press conference on Friday.

Authorities found his overturned kayak and life jacket in the lake. They later found his fishing rod and tackle box.

Believing Borgwardt drowned, officials used divers, drones, sonar and cadaver K-9s on the lake to try to find him.

Bruce’s Legacy, a volunteer search organization, also assisted authorities in their 54-day search for Borgwardt, which spanned 1,500 acres. Keith Cormican, the group’s leader, spent hours sorting through sonar data and images.

However, the investigation took a turn in October when investigators learned that Borgwardt’s name had been checked by police in Canada on August 13 – the day after his disappearance.

He also obtained a second passport after reporting that his original passport was lost.

Investigators learned that Borgwardt had been communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan. They also discovered that Borgwardt had moved money into foreign banks.

In January, Borgwardt took out life insurance for $375,000 and bought an airline gift card.

“I was totally shocked,” Podoll told ABC News on Monday. “It was just unbelievable that we should have a case like this where some party actually staged his death.

“As far as we know, he is somewhere in Eastern Europe,” the sheriff told ABC News, noting that the search of Green Lake has ended.

Borgwardt could potentially be charged with this scheme, but that is pending further assessment, Podoll said. The authorities hope to seek compensation for the costs of the search.

“He wasted a lot of my time and it cost me a lot of money,” Cormican told the newspaper.

Whether Borgwardt had help in this case is unknown, but Podoll said his wife is not involved.

“I was there when the sheriff told the whole family the news. And it was beautiful, pretty heartbreaking to watch,” Cormican said. “I feel terrible for the family. They are the ones who are really going to struggle.”

In a message to Borgwardt on Monday, Podoll said: “Ryan, if you see this, I’m asking you to contact us or contact your family. We understand that things can happen, but there is a family that wants their father back .”

Newsweek has contacted Podoll and Cormican for comment.

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