Wisconsin authorities believe kayaker staged his disappearance and fled to Europe

GREEN LAKE, Wisc. – Authorities in Wisconsin believe a kayaker who was reported missing for several months may be alive and staged his disappearance before fleeing the country.

Ryan Borgwardt, a 44-year-old married father of three, according to WBAY, initially went missing on Aug. 12 after kayaking on Green Lake, a natural inland lake about 100 miles northwest of Milwaukee. Local authorities located Borgwardt's kayak overturned with a lifejacket that same day.

An extensive search for Borgwardt's body, which involved underwater drones, towable submersible sonar, divers, and three K-9 cadaver teams, continued for about 54 days but "there was nothing we could find," Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said during a news conference Friday.

In a shocking turn of events, Podoll said further investigation revealed that it was likely Borgwardt staged his disappearance and fled to Europe. After regrouping with his team on Oct. 7, Podoll said they decided to "go a different direction" and discovered that Borgwardt's name was "run" on Aug. 13.

"That was something we didn't expect," Podoll said, adding that authorities recovered evidence of Borgwardt taking out a life insurance policy and that he was communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan.

Ryan Borgwardt initially reported missing on Green Lake

Borgwardt's wife previously told authorities that she received a text message from him on the night of Aug. 11 saying he was heading to shore and that his last known location was Green Lake.

Deputies had found Borgwardt's vehicle, along with his trailer parked in Dodge County Memorial Park on the southwest end of the lake, according to Podoll. Deputies then immediately deployed a boat and discovered a capsized kayak in the western part of the lake, where the water was about 220 feet deep, Podoll said.

Bruce's Legacy, a nonprofit search-and-rescue organization, and multiple law enforcement agencies searched the area "extensively" and found a fishing rod that was identified as Borgwardt's by his wife, according to Podoll. Authorities also found a tackle box containing Borgwardt's wallet, keys, and license.

Podoll recalled that on Oct. 4, Keith Cormican — who started Bruce's Legacy in 2013 — had told him that he extensively searched the western part of Green Lake but was still unable to find Borgwardt's body. But Podoll noted that Cormican was not ready to give up on the search.

"So Oct. 7, I got my crew together," Podoll said. "We met and we talked and we said 'We got to go a different direction.' And the direction we went was offline, and we found out that Borgwardt's name was run on Aug. 13."

'We believe that Ryan is alive and likely in Eastern Europe'

The new investigation revealed that Borgwardt’s name had been checked by Canadian law enforcement on Aug. 13 and showed he had a second passport after reporting his original passport lost.

With help from Customs and Border Patrol, Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations, Podoll said investigators conducted a digital forensic analysis of Borgwardt’s laptop.

"We recovered that he replaced his hard drive on the laptop," Podoll said. "He cleared the browser on the day of his disappearance. He synced the laptop into the cloud on Aug. 11. He took photos of his passport."

Podoll said authorities also found that Borgwardt inquired about moving funds to foreign banks, changed email addresses associated with financial accounts on the day of his disappearance, and was communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan.

Podoll added that in January, Borgwardt took out a $375,000 life insurance policy and purchased an airline gift card.

“Due to the discovery of this new evidence, we are confident that Ryan is not located in Green Lake and we have ended all search efforts associated with Green Lake,” Podoll said. “At this time, we believe that Ryan is alive and likely in Eastern Europe.”

“Our investigation has many more steps to take to put this puzzle together,” Podoll added, noting that authorities are in the process of reviewing charges that might be brought against Borgwardt.

The Green Lake County Sheriff's Office urged the public to come forward with any information on Borgwardt. Podoll also pleaded with Borgwardt.

"Ryan, if you’re viewing this, I plea that you contact us or contact your family. We understand that things can happen, but there’s a family that wants their daddy back," Podoll said.