A Wisconsin husband who faked his own death and ran away with his mistress taunted police by sending them a ‘proof of life’ video – but refused to tell them where he was.
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, purposely flipped his kayak on Green Lake on August 11, dumping his phone and belongings in the water before paddling to safety on an inflatable boat and e-biking more than 50 miles to Madison overnight, the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office said on Thursday.
They learned in October that Borgwardt had crossed the border into Canada a few days after his disappearance and had been communicating with a Uzbek woman who spoke Russian.
Through her, the Sheriff’s Office was able to get in contact with the father-of-three and asked him to answer questions only he would know and to film a video of himself, which he did.
In the video, Borgwardt – who has not contacted his family since his disappearance – showed off his apartment, telling officers: ‘I am safe, secure, no problems.’
Authorities do not know exactly where the married man is, but they suspect he is in Eastern Europe. They do not believe he is in any danger and have had daily communication with him since November 11, Sheriff Mark Podoll said.
‘He has not yet decided to return home,’ Podoll said at a Thursday press conference.
Regardless, getting in contact with Borgwardt was a ‘big turning point’ in the investigation, according to Podoll.
The Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office is now seeking $35,000 to $40,000 in restitution for the money used in the search. Authorities used divers, drones, sonar and cadaver K-9s, and more to look for the missing father, according to ABC News.
Borgwardt could also face obstruction charges, the sheriff said.
Podoll is hoping the father will make the decision to return home.
‘He needs to come home to his kids,’ he said at the press conference, saying officers are trying to ‘pull at his heartstrings.’
Authorities spent 54 days looking for the Wisconsin man before announcing on November 8 that they didn’t believe he had drowned in the lake, but rather had faked his own death.
Investigators revealed that Borgwardt had been talking to a woman in Uzbekistan before he obtained a new passport and a $375,000 life insurance policy in January.
Borgwardt is believed to have used the new passport in Canada a day after he was reported missing.
The scheme was elaborately planned. Borgwardt left his original passport at home when he vanished, and police said he tried to cover his tracks by removing his laptop’s hard drive and wiping his search history clean.
Before his disappearance, he changed all the email addresses linked to his bank accounts and moved money to a foreign bank account.
Borgwardt’s devastated wife, Emily, and their three 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren, have been grieving their loss, believing for months he was likely dead.
She is now being urged to join support groups for women with ‘runaway husbands’ as her friends and community rally around her.
She and Borgwardt celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary in July 2024.