Wisconsin man fakes death to escape family, to meet woman in Uzbekistan

A man in Wisconsin, US, who vanished in August after staging a drowning incident, has been found alive and is communicating with authorities from

Eastern Europe

.

Ryan Borgwardt

, missing since August 11, contacted the

Green Lake County Sheriff's Office

on November 11. Borgwardt abandoned his wife and three children to disappear.
Sheriff

Mark Podoll

released a video of Borgwardt during a news conference, confirming he is alive.
“The great news is we know that he is alive and well,” Podoll said. “The bad news is we don’t know exactly where Ryan is, and he has not yet decided to return home.”
The video showed Borgwardt in an orange T-shirt, with the background briefly revealing a door and bare walls. Borgwardt looked directly at the camera without smiling, seemingly recording the video on his phone.

“I’m safe and secure, no problem,” Borgwardt said in the video. “I hope this works,” he added, speaking from what appeared to be an apartment.
Borgwardt hadn’t been heard from since August 11, when he texted his wife around 11 pm, saying he was heading to shore after kayaking. His car and trailer were later found near Green Lake, along with his overturned kayak and a life jacket in waters over 200 feet (60 meters) deep.

Borgwardt informed authorities that on the day of his disappearance, he traveled approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) from his home in Watertown to Green Lake, where he capsized his kayak, discarded his phone in the lake, and paddled an inflatable boat to shore. He chose Green Lake for its depth, as it is the deepest in Wisconsin.

After leaving the lake, Borgwardt rode an electric bike approximately 70 miles (110 kilometers) overnight to Madison, took a bus to Detroit, and then traveled to Canada, where he boarded a plane, according to the sheriff.
The disappearance triggered a search-and-rescue operation lasting more than 50 days.
Sheriff Podoll suggested Borgwardt’s actions were motivated by “personal matters” but declined to elaborate further.
Initially, Borgwardt’s disappearance was investigated as a potential drowning. However, clues later suggested he faked his death to meet a woman in Uzbekistan, a former Soviet republic. Investigators discovered he had obtained a new passport three months before his disappearance.
The sheriff declined to comment on the woman’s identity.
In October, Canadian authorities flagged Borgwardt’s name in their system a day after he was reported missing. Investigators found he had reported his passport lost or stolen and obtained a new one in May. Analysis of his laptop revealed plans to travel to Europe and attempts to mislead authorities. The hard drive had been replaced, and browsing data cleared the day he disappeared. However, investigators recovered passport photos, inquiries about transferring money to foreign banks, and communications with a woman in Uzbekistan.
In January, Borgwardt had taken out a $375,000

life insurance policy

for his family, the sheriff said. Using contact details from the laptop, authorities reached Borgwardt by connecting with a Russian-speaking woman. It remains unclear if she is the same woman from Uzbekistan.
The sheriff indicated that Borgwardt might face charges for obstructing the investigation into his disappearance, though no charges have been filed yet. Whether Borgwardt returns is up to his “free will,” Podoll said.
While authorities are relieved Borgwardt is safe, his exact location and plans remain unclear. Podoll expressed hope that Borgwardt would choose to return, especially with the holiday season approaching.
Borgwardt is reportedly concerned about how the community will react if he returns. “He thought his plan would work out, but it didn’t go as expected,” Podoll said.
Podoll speculated that Borgwardt is supporting himself abroad, noting, “He’s a smart guy.”
The Green Lake County Sheriff's Office continues to work with Borgwardt as the investigation unfolds.