In a shocking turn of events, Wisconsin authorities believe Ryan Borgwardt, 44, staged his disappearance and fled to Europe.
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, 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.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 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 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.
