Missing kayaker who faked his own death and fled to Europe returns to U.S.

GREEN LAKE, Wis. (TCN) -- The 45-year-old man who faked his own kayaking death and ran away to Europe returned to the United States this week and turned himself in to law enforcement.

Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll announced in a press conference that Ryan Borgwardt "willingly" came back to Wisconsin on Tuesday, Dec. 10, after several months abroad. Borgwardt faces a "number of charges," including obstruction. Podoll did not reveal where Borgwardt traveled from or at which airport he landed.

Podoll said, "He has cooperated with us. He came back to the United States."

The sheriff appeared emotional and got choked up while discussing Borgwardt’s decision to come home and reunite with his family, sharing, "We brought a dad back on his own accord."

Borgwardt and officials from the sheriff’s office had been in contact for several weeks prior to his flight home. On Nov. 21, Podoll said Borgwardt was traced to Eastern Europe after a woman reached out to law enforcement because she recognized his photo. Borgwardt shared a video with the sheriff’s office saying he was "safe, secure" in an apartment in an undisclosed location.

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

The search for Borgwardt began Aug. 12 when his wife contacted the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office and said he had not returned home from his day on the lake. Green Lake County officials got involved and immediately began searching for Borgwardt. Boaters on the lake found his capsized kayak and a tackle box with his wallet, keys, and license in it. Divers scoured Green Lake for 54 days before calling it off. Investigators determined Borgwardt’s body was not in the lake, so they took a new direction.

Officials obtained a warrant and seized Borgwardt’s computer. They learned he wiped the hard drive, cleared his search history, took out a $375,000 life insurance policy, and opened an overseas bank account. He had reportedly been communicating with a woman in Uzbekistan prior to his disappearance.

Borgwardt told law enforcement he hid an e-bike near the Green Lake 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 that crossed into Canada.

Podoll said in his Nov. 21 press conference that Borgwardt "did his research" in choosing Green Lake because it’s the deepest in Wisconsin. Borgwardt reportedly relayed his concerns about "how the community will react" if he returned to home. He also said he did not think law enforcement would continue to search for him after two weeks.

Podoll said, "I hate to tell you, he picked the wrong sheriff and the wrong department."

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