Missing Green Lake kayaker allegedly faked his death and fled the country

Authorities believe a kayaker who went missing from Green Lake this summer faked his death and fled the country.

Ryan Borgwardt, 45, was reported missing Aug. 12 after his wife reported he had not returned home from the lake. Officers found Borgwardt’s vehicle and a trailer parked near a local park and discovered a capsized kayak in the western part of the lake.

At a news conference Friday, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said state and local officials and a nonprofit search and recovery organization had conducted an “extensive” search of the lake for 54 days. During their search, officers seized a tackle box that contained Borgwardt’s wallet, keys and driver’s license.

When no body was found in early October, Podoll said investigators knew they had to take the investigation in a “different direction.” The sheriff’s office worked with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the FBI and the state Department of Criminal Investigations.

An analysis of a laptop provided by Borgwardt’s wife revealed that Borgwardt had replaced the laptop’s hard drive, deleted the browser history and synced the laptop with iCloud on the day he disappeared, Podoll said.

Borgwardt also obtained a second passport, transferred money to a foreign bank, changed his email address and was in contact with a woman in Uzbekistan. He also took out $375,000 in life insurance in January and purchased airline gift cards, the sheriff said.

“Based on these new evidence discoveries, we were confident that Ryan was not in our lake,” Podoll said. “Our investigation must take many steps. It’s a puzzle we’re putting together. We have a lot of pieces, but we need to find a lot more pieces.”

Podoll said law enforcement is not sure where Borgwardt is, but evidence suggests he is no longer in the country. He said the goal of law enforcement is to identify any crimes that may have been committed by people who supported Borgwardt.

The sheriff also said Borgwardt’s disappearance has put a strain on his wife and his elementary and high school-aged children.

“I can’t imagine what she and her (children) are going through,” Podoll said Friday. “It’s really hard because they felt like their father had drowned. A day ago they found out that wasn’t the case.”

Podoll also urged anyone with information to contact the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office, saying they can do so anonymously. He also asked Borgwardt to come forward.

“Ryan, if you’re looking at this, I ask you to contact us or your family. We understand that things can happen, but there is a family that wants their father back,” Podoll said.