Wisconsin man who faked his death, fled to Europe has returned to US

A man from the US state of Wisconsin who allegedly faked his own death and fled to Eastern Europe has returned to the United States and turned himself in on Tuesday (Dec 10), said the Green Lake County Sheriff.

Ryan Borgwardt, 45, left his wife and three children. However, the reason and his whereabouts for the past four months have not yet been revealed by the police. He is being held in the Green Lake County Jail and was set to appear in court on December 11.

Borgwardt could be asked to reimburse the cost of his search and rescue operations, Sheriff Mark Podoll said, according to NBC News.

Borgwardt was reported missing on August 12 after he did not return from a fishing trip on Green Lake, which is about an hour away from his Watertown home in Wisconsin.

Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office was only able to find the man’s kayak and a tackle box containing a set of keys, a wallet, and his license. Soon the officials found evidence of Borgwardt leaving for Europe via Canada.

Borgwardt had deliberately overturned his kayak, tossed his phone and returned to the coast in a small inflatable boat, Podoll said. He then rode an e-bike to Madison, about 80 miles away, and then boarded a bus to Detroit, Michigan. He eventually crossed the Canadian border and flew to Europe.

Before his elaborate scheme, Borgwardt transferred money to a foreign bank account and changed his email. He also communicated with a woman in Uzbekistan. He cashed out a life insurance policy worth $375,000, which was intended to help his family.

The investigators came into contact with Borgwardt on November 11 through a Russian-speaking woman. She did not reveal whether she was the same woman in Uzbekistan or if she was with Borgwardt, Podoll said.

He remained in contact with the authorities since then and appeared safe but did not speak with his family, the sheriffsaid during a press conference in late November.

“In our communications, we are expressing the importance of his decision to return home and clean up the mess that he has created,” Podoll said, CNN reported. Borgwardt expressed regret for hurting his family and “also feels bad about the amount of hours that we have put in the community.” He also said that Borgwardt thought that the authorities would stop looking after him after about two weeks.

“He picked the wrong sheriff and the wrong department,” Podoll said.

(With inputs from agencies)