Authorities make contact with kayaker who went missing in Green Lake and revealed how he faked his death

A kayaker who went missing in Green Lake this summer has made contact with local law enforcement, detailing how he faked his death and fled the country.

Authorities don’t yet know where exactly Ryan Borgwardt is, but they’ve narrowed it down to somewhere in eastern Europe.

Borgwardt, 45, of Watertown went missing in August in Green Lake. Law enforcement recovered a capsized kayak in the lake along with other personal belongings. Initially believing Borgwardt had likely drowned, authorities searched the lake for 54 days.

Earlier this month, the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office revealed that they believed that Borgwardt had actually faked his own death and fled the United States.

At a press conference Thursday, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said the sheriff’s office got into contact with Borgwardt on Nov. 11. Authorities asked Borgwardt a number of questions to confirm his identity, and Borgwardt also provided a video of himself to law enforcement.

“The great news is we know he is alive and well,” Podoll said. “The bad news is that we don’t know where exactly Ryan is, and he has not decided to return home.”

He said a chief deputy has remained in contact with Borgwardt, who revealed to law enforcement how he got off the lake. 

According to Podoll, Borgwardt told the sheriff’s office that he stashed an electric bicycle near the boat launch. He then paddled a kayak out onto the lake with an inflatable child-size boat. 

He overturned the kayak, dumped his phone in the lake and then paddled the inflatable boat to shore, the sheriff said. Borgwardt rode the electric bicycle through the night to Madison, where he got on a bus to Detroit. From Detroit, he went to the Canadian border. In Canada, he continued on the bus to an airport and got on a plane.

“We are continuing to verify this information, trying to put the dots together,” Podoll said. “But we feel that this was Ryan’s way that he could tell the entire country how he did it.”

Borgwardt told law enforcement that he did not expect authorities to search the lake for him for more than two weeks and that he chose Green Lake because it’s the deepest lake in Wisconsin, the sheriff said.

Podoll said the sheriff’s office is trying to convince Borgwardt to return to the country willingly. 

At this time, Podoll said no warrants for Borgwardt’s arrest have been issued. The sheriff added he does not believe a warrant will be needed if Borgwardt decides to cooperate and return home soon.

“We are expressing the importance of his decision to return home (to) clean up the mess that he has created,” Podoll said. “Our primary concern has been that he safely gets back to U.S. soil. He needs to return home to his children.”

Podoll said Borgwardt had “personal matters going on” that made him believe faking his death and leaving the country was the best thing to do. 

The sheriff didn’t get into the specific personal matters, but said there were “a number of reasons.”

“There was talk about the life insurance plan that he took out,” Podoll said. “It wasn’t for him, it was for his family.”

He also said the sheriff’s office has had conversations with the U.S. State Department regarding the case, but federal authorities would determine how to bring Borgwardt back to America if he is unwilling to return on his own.

Borgwardt has expressed to local authorities that his biggest concern is how the community will react to him, Podoll said.

In trying to convince Borgwardt to return, Podoll said authorities will continue “pulling at his heartstrings.”

“We’re not going to give up,” Podoll said. “We want to continue because he needs to come home with his kids.”

The sheriff’s office has been in contact with Borgwardt’s wife to keep the family informed of the situation, but Borgwardt has not been in contact with his family, the sheriff said.

Podoll said the sheriff’s office plans to charge Borgwardt with obstruction of justice and will seek restitution of roughly $35,000 to $40,000. He said he could not discuss possible federal charges that Borgwardt may face.