Missing Wisconsin Father Of Three Faked A Kayaking Accident And Fled To Europe
On August 12, a father of three from Wisconsin disappeared and was thought to have drowned while kayaking. Now, authorities believe he staged the kayaking accident and fled to Europe.
Ryan Borgwardt was reported missing at 5:32 p.m. on August 12. He’d last spoken to his wife on August 11.
When investigators responded to the call, they found his car and trailer parked near Dodge Memorial Park. Ryan’s last known location was Green Lake.
One hour later, police discovered a capsized kayak in the lake’s western region, where the water reached depths of approximately 220 feet.
The next day, Ryan’s fishing rod was found by fishermen in Green Lake. His tackle box was also discovered in the same area, and inside, his license, wallet, and keys had been left behind.
This led a team of divers and search dogs to look for Ryan at Green Lake on August 24. Bruce’s Legacy, a volunteer search-and-recovery organization, simultaneously conducted a 28-day search for him.
However, on October 7, shocking evidence came to light that caused investigators to change gears. It was uncovered that Ryan’s name had been checked on August 13 by Canadian law enforcement, one day after he supposedly vanished.
“That was something we didn’t expect,” recalled Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll.
MarekPhotoDesign.com – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only – pictured above is a green kayak sitting on rocks
Ryan’s wife then provided authorities with a laptop, which police analyzed. They realized that, on the day he disappeared, Ryan had replaced the hard drive on his computer and cleared his browsing history.
Additionally, earlier this year, Ryan had reported his passport missing, and on May 22, he’d gotten a replacement.
According to Podoll, Ryan also took pictures of his passport, changed his email, and moved money to a foreign bank account. He was reportedly communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan leading up to his disappearance, too.
Plus, in January, Ryan took out a life insurance policy valued at $375,000 and bought airline cards.
All of this new evidence has pushed investigators to suspect Ryan is actually alive and “someplace in Europe,” not in Wisconsin’s Green Lake.
Sheriff Mark Podoll thanked Ryan’s family, specifically his wife, for her assistance, calling her “one strong lady” during a recent news conference.
“Whenever we called on her, she always responded and gave us everything that she could. I cannot imagine what she’s going through and what they’re going through,” he stated.
Ryan had three children who, up until this month, believed their father had drowned while kayaking. Following a 54-day search, his kids were informed that he hadn’t.
Sheriff Mark Podoll issued a message to Ryan on Friday, November 8, urging him to reach out.
“Ryan, if you are viewing this, I plead that you contact us or contact your family. We understand that things can happen, but there’s a family that wants their daddy back,” he said.
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