Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death and fled to Europe is in custody, online records show
Ryan Borgwardt, the kayaker who faked his death and fled the country, is in police custody in Wisconsin.
Online records on Tuesday night showed Borgwardt, 45, in custody at Green Lake County Jail in Green Lake, Wisconsin.
Borgwardt was initially reported missing on Aug. 11 after failing to return from kayaking on Green Lake before the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office revealed he staged his disappearance and fled the country.
Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said in a press conference on Nov. 21 that authorities were in daily contact with Borgwardt since Nov. 11, having first reached him via a "woman speaking Russian."
At the time, law enforcement shared a video of Borgwardt showing the Watertown man alive and well but said they couldn’t persuade him to return home.
'There was nothing we could find': How Bordwardt's plan was discovered
Police launched an extensive search for Borgwardt's body , which involved underwater drones, towable submersible sonar, divers, and three K-9 cadaver teams. The search lasted 54 days, and, according to Podoll, "there was nothing we could find."
At the Nov. 21 press conference, Podoll revealed that Borgwardt's plan included:
- Stashing an eBike near the boat launch.
- Paddling a kayak and a child-size inflatable boat out into the lake.
- Overturning the kayak and dumping his phone in the lake.
- Paddling the inflatable boat to shore and then riding the eBike through the night to Madison.
- Boarding a bus in Madison, going to Detroit and then heading to the Canadian border.
- Continuing on the bus to the airport and getting on a plane.
A digital forensic analysis of Borgwardt's laptop revealed he cleared his browsers on the day of his disappearance, replaced the hard drive, inquired about moving funds to foreign banks, and had constant communication with a woman from Uzbekistan.
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at Paste BN. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@gannett.com.