Ryan Borgwardt (44) was reported missing on August 12, 2024 after he failed to return from a kayaking trip.
Ryan was from Watertown, Wisconsin and he is married to a woman named Emily. The couple have three children together – aged between grade school and high school.
On Monday August 12, police in Green Lake County responded to a missing persons call at around 5.32pm. Emily told police that she last had contact with Ryan on August 11. She said that he had texted her and said that he was heading to shore.
Deputies found Ryan’s vehicle and trailer parked in a lot at Dodge Memorial Park.
An hour after the missing persons call was made, a capsized kayak was found in the lake in an area that was around 220 feet deep. A lifejacket was found floating nearby.
The next day, a floating fishing rod was found in the same lake. Ryan’s tackle box was later discovered and his keys, wallet and driver’s license were found inside.
Experienced divers and search dogs were brought in to help search for Ryan.
Members of a volunteer search-and-recovery organization, Bruce’s Legacy conducted a 28 day search for Ryan. The organisation is led by Keith Cormican.
Sheriff Mark Podoll spoke about the people and organisations involved in the search.
“The expertise of Keith Cormican and Bruce’s Legacy cannot be overstated,” Sheriff Podoll said. “His dedication and persistence in the search efforts was unmatched. Keith is certainly one of the best in the world at his craft.”
This statement is important because it gives you an idea as to the thoroughness of the search.
When no trace of Ryan was found after a 54 day search and with officials certain that he was not in the lake, they started looking at other avenues.
Authorities discovered that Ryan’s passport had been checked by Canadian law enforcement on August 13 – the day after he went missing.
“That was something we didn’t expect,” the sheriff told reporters last week, adding that authorities ended up analyzing a laptop that Emily had given to them.
Police discovered that Ryan had reported his passport as missing earlier in the year and that he obtained a replacement on May 22, 2024. His original passport was found at home by his family after he vanished – it was never lost. It seems he ordered a new one to keep red flags at bay for as long as possible so the family would believe nothing was amiss.
In regards to Ryan’s laptop, police found the following:
- The hard drive had been replaced.
- Browsers had been cleared on the day of Ryan’s disappearance.
- The laptop was synched with icloud on August 11, 2024.
- Photos of passports.
- Inquiries about moving funds to foreign banks
- Ryan changed email addresses associated with bank accounts on the day he disappeared.
- Ryan had been communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan.
- Ryan had taken out a $375k life insurance policy in January 2024.
- A purchased airline gift card.
“Due to these discoveries of the new evidence, we were sure that Ryan was not in our lake,” Sheriff Podoll said, thanking everyone that had helped in the search.
“I want to thank the family, I want to thank his wife. That is one strong lady,” the sheriff said at the news conference in early November.
“Whenever we called on her, she always responded and she gave everything that she could for us,” he said. “I cannot imagine what she’s going through and they’re going through.”
Sheriff Podoll also spoke about Ryan’s children. “They thought that their dad was drowned. A day ago, they found out that he wasn’t.”
“Our investigation has many more steps to take to put this puzzle together,” Sheriff Podoll said. “We are working with the Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigations, Mid-States Organized Crime Information Center and the FBI as we continue to unravel the digital information available and provide the clearest possible picture of what has occurred. At this time we believe that Ryan is alive and likely in Eastern Europe.
“Ryan, if you are viewing this, I plead that you contact us or contact your family,” Sheriff Podoll said. “We understand that things can happen, but there’s a family that wants their daddy back.”
Emily made a statement to NBC via text. “I cannot make any comments at this time since it is still an active investigation.”
On December 11, 2024, it was announced that Ryan had returned to the United States and was in police custody.
This information is from the Washington Post:
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, was charged Wednesday with obstructing an officer, a misdemeanor punishable by up to nine months in jail and a $10,000 fine, a day after he turned himself in to the Green County Sheriff’s Office and was arrested, according to authorities and court records. During Borgwardt’s court appearance Wednesday, Green Lake County Circuit Court Judge Mark Slate entered a not guilty plea for Borgwardt and gave him a personal recognizance bond in exchange for Borgwardt’s promise to return for future court appearances.
SOURCE LIST
https://people.com/missing-father-staged-kayaking-accident-fled-europe-police-8742961
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/12/wisconsin-kayaker-faked-death-fled-country
https://www.today.com/parents/wisconsin-dad-ryan-borgwardt-kayaking-accident-europe-rcna179685