Wis. man who faked his death on kayaking trip reveals how he escaped and fled to Europe

GREEN LAKE, Wis. (TCN) -- Ryan Borgwardt, the man who faked his own kayaking death and fled to Europe, made contact with law enforcement and revealed how he concocted his plan to disappear.

Borgwardt disappeared Aug. 12 after he took his kayak onto Green Lake and never returned, prompting his family to grow concerned. Green Lake County deputies responded and found Borgwardt’s car and trailer. Boaters discovered his capsized kayak and a tackle box that contained his wallet, keys, and license. Divers from search and rescue organization Bruce’s Legacy assisted in looking for Borgwardt in the lake, which reaches over 220 feet deep. The sheriff’s office spent 54 days searching for Borgwardt.

Keith Cornican of Bruce’s Legacy told Green Lake County Mark Podoll that if his divers were unable to locate a body, then there wasn’t a body in the lake. They learned Borgwardt’s passport was used in Canada the day after he disappeared. Investigators searched Borgwardt’s home and learned that he cleared his browser, replaced the hard drive, moved money to an overseas bank account, took out a $375,000 life insurance policy, and communicated with a woman in Uzbekistan before he disappeared.

Podoll said at an earlier news conference, "It’s very clear that he faked his death."

In a Nov. 21 press. conference, Podoll confirmed Borgwardt was alive and located somewhere in Eastern Europe. A woman who speaks Russian reportedly reached out to law enforcement and connected them with Borgwardt. Podoll said Borgwardt faces an obstruction charge and tens of thousands of dollars in restitution for what it cost to spend weeks looking for him on Green Lake, as well as potential federal charges.

Podoll’s chief deputy communicates with Borgwardt "nearly daily." Borgwardt even sent a video to the sheriff’s office saying he was "safe, secure" in an apartment.

Podoll said, "Great news, we know that he’s alive and well. The bad news is we do not know where Ryan exactly is."

Borgwardt revealed to investigators that on Aug. 12, he hid an e-bike near the boat launch and paddled out on his kayak with a child-size inflatable boat. After overturning the kayak and dropping his phone in the water, Borgwardt paddled the boat to shore, got on his bike, and spent the rest of the night riding to Madison, Wisconsin. Once there, he boarded a bus to Detroit. The bus stopped at the Canadian border and continued on into the country. He went to an airport, got on a plane, and fled.

Podoll and his deputies have been urging Borgwardt to return to Wisconsin and "clean up the mess he has created."

According to Podoll, Borgwardt’s "biggest concern is how the community will react" if he comes back. Borgwardt reportedly said he did not think divers would spend more than two weeks looking for him, to which Podoll responded, "I hate to tell you, he picked the wrong sheriff and the wrong department."

Borgwardt "did his research" in choosing Green Lake because it’s the deepest in Wisconsin.

"It didn’t go the way he planned," Podoll said. "Now we’re trying to give him a different plan."

Podoll told reporters he and investigators are going to continue "pulling at his heartstrings" until Borgwardt decides to fly back.

He pleaded, "Christmas is coming, and what better gift he could give his kids than to be there for Christmas?"

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