Investigators believe a Wisconsin kayaker faked his own death before fleeing to Eastern Europe

A Wisconsin man apparently faked his own drowning this summer to abandon his family and flee to Eastern Europe, investigators say.

Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podell said in a news release Friday that the Dodge County Sheriff's Office notified his agency on Aug. 12 that Ryan Borgwardt of Watertown had disappeared after kayaking on Green Lake had driven. Borgwardt's wife said he sent her a text message at 10:49 p.m. on Aug. 11 saying he was heading to shore.

Officers found Borgwardt's vehicle and trailer near the lake. They also found his overturned kayak with a life jacket attached on the lake, in an area where the water is more than 60 meters deep. An angler later discovered Borgwardt's fishing rod.

Investigators had suspected that Borgwardt's kayak had capsized and he had no life jacket. The search for his body took more than 50 days, with divers exploring the lake several times.

Bruce's Legacy, a nonprofit that specializes in drowning victim recovery, searched about 1,500 acres (6 square kilometers), often in more than 100 feet (30 meters) of water, combing through hours of sonar data and images without success.

In early October, Podell's department learned that Canadian law enforcement had run Borgwardt's name through their databases the day after he was reported missing. The press release did not specify why his name was mentioned or provide further details about the circumstances.

Further investigation revealed that Borgwardt had reported his passport as lost or stolen and had obtained a new one in May. His family easily found his original passport, the sheriff said in the news release.

An analysis of a laptop – the publication did not specify whose – revealed a digital trail showing that Borgwardt had planned to travel to Europe and tried to mislead investigators.

The laptop's hard drive was replaced and the browsers were deleted on the day of Borgwardt's disappearance, Podell said in the news release. Investigators found passport photos, requests for money transfers to foreign banks and communications with a woman from Uzbekistan. They also found that Borgwardt had also taken out $375,000 in life insurance in January.

“At this point, we believe Ryan is alive and likely living in Eastern Europe,” Podell said in the news release.

He added that his office will continue to work with federal and international law enforcement to determine whether Borgwardt committed any crimes and whether anyone helped him. The sheriff also plans to seek reimbursement for search costs.

Podell did not immediately respond to a message left by The Associated Press on Tuesday seeking further details. Attempts to reach members of the Borgwardt family by telephone were unsuccessful.

Keith Cormican runs Bruce's Legacy in honor of his brother Bruce, a Black River Falls firefighter who drowned in 1995 while searching for a drowning victim. He called the Borgwardt search “disheartening” and said he could have used the time he spent searching for Borgwardt to help other families.

“You meet all kinds of people in the world, and I guess this guy faked his disappearance, so that's a first,” Cormican said. “It definitely cost us a lot of heartache, a lot of money, repairs and equipment. I just hope he comes forward sooner rather than later so the family can move on.”

Last January, authorities extradited an elusive U.S. fugitive named Nicholas Rossi from Scotland to Utah to face two counts of sexual assault. Investigators believe he faked his own death and fled the United States to avoid charges. He was arrested in Scotland in 2021 after being recognized while receiving treatment for COVID-19 in a Glasgow hospital.