Missing kayaker Ryan Borgwardt in custody
The Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday confirmed Ryan Borgwardt, the kayaker initially thought to have gone missing, is now in custody.
GREEN LAKE, Wis. – The Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday confirmed Ryan Borgwardt, the kayaker initially thought to have gone missing this summer but later determined to have faked his own death and fled the country, is now in custody and charged.
Sheriff Mark Podoll said Borgwardt decided to return to the U.S. “on his own” on Tuesday Dec. 10; he turned himself in to the authorities in Green Lake that day.
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A criminal complaint states Borgwardt is charged with one count of misdemeanor obstructing an officer. Court filings state he intended to mislead investigators by “intentionally” leaving items at Green Lake to make it seem as though he had drowned.
Court records show Borgwardt was issued a $500 signature bond at his initial court appearance on Wednesday. A judge also ordered him to surrender his passport to the clerk’s office.
The sheriff said Borgwardt is cooperating with the investigation but would not say where Borgwardt reentered the U.S., whether he has spoken to his family or what changed his mind.
Sheriff’s update: Ryan Borgwardt in custody
Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll on Wednesday confirmed Ryan Borgwardt is now in custody — months after he was believed to have gone missing and, later, to have faked his own death.
Ryan Borgwardt contacted
The 45-year-old man from Watertown was reported missing on Aug. 12. Searches of Green Lake lasted more than a month and cost roughly $40,000.
The sheriff’s office later suspected Borgrwardt had faked his own death – spurring a new investigation.
On Nov. 8, the sheriff said investigators began to use various data points – such as phone numbers and email addresses – in an effort to get in contact with Borgwardt.
Investigators contacted a woman who spoke Russian and on Nov. 11, through her, they contacted Borgwardt. In an effort to verify if he was safe, they asked him a number of personal questions and asked him to provide a video of himself – which he did.
“Good evening, it’s Ryan Borgwardt,” he says in the video, which the sheriff’s office shared. “Safe, secure, no problem.”
Disappearance plan
In November, Podoll said Borgwardt told investigators his plan. As of Nov. 21, the sheriff’s office said it was still working to verify Borgwardt’s statements.
Borgwardt claimed he stashed an e-bike near the Green Lake boat launch and paddled his kayak and a child-sized inflatable boat onto the lake. He overturned the kayak, dumped his phone in the water and paddled the inflatable boat to shore. He then got on the e-bike and rode through the night to Madison, where he got on a bus to Detroit and then the Canadian border. He rode the bus to an airport, where he got on a plane.
Further, the sheriff said Borgwardt told investigators he picked Green Lake because it is the deepest lake in Wisconsin.
Investigators previously learned Borgwardt obtained a second passport, cleared his hard drives and browser history and changed his banking information on the day of his disappearance. He also took out a $375,000 life insurance policy and purchased an airline gift card.
As to why Borgwardt tried to stage his death, the sheriff would only say he had a personal matter going on and that this was the “right thing” to do.
