GREEN LAKE, Wis. — A Wisconsin man who faked his own drowning and left his wife and three children and was believed to have been in Eastern Europe willingly returned to the U.S. after roughly four months and is in custody, a sheriff said Wednesday.
Ryan Borgwardt “came back on his own” because of his family, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll told reporters Wednesday during a press briefing.
Borgwardt was booked into the Green Lake County Jail on Tuesday, the sheriff confirmed, after boarding a plane and returning to Wisconsin. Podoll would not say where the flight originated but said Borgwardt was "cooperative" in the process.
The Green County Sheriff's Department has forwarded a criminal case to the County Attorney recommending several criminal charges, including obstruction. Borgwardt could be officially charged as early as Wednesday.
Sheriff Podoll did not answer questions about Borgwardt's reasons for deciding to come home, or if the 45-year-old had been in contact with his family. When asked if he himself had spoken with the kayaker's wife and family, Sheriff Podoll said yes, but would not share details.
"I can only imagine how they feel," he said.
During a briefing last month, Podoll said Borgwardt began communicating with authorities on Nov. 11 after disappearing for three months but had not committed to returning to Wisconsin. Podoll said police were "pulling at his heartstrings” to come home. He suggested Borgwardt could be charged with obstructing the investigation into his disappearance.
Borgwardt told authorities he faked his death because of “personal matters,” the sheriff said. He told them that in mid-August he traveled about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from his home in Watertown to Green Lake, where he overturned his kayak, dumped his phone and then paddled an inflatable boat to shore. Borgwardt told investigators he picked that lake because it’s the deepest in Wisconsin.
After leaving the lake, Borgwardt told detectives he rode an electric bike about 70 miles (110 kilometers) through the night to Madison, the sheriff said. From there, he said he took a bus to Detroit, then boarded a bus to Canada and got on a plane.
The sheriff’s office has said the search for Borgwardt’s body, which lasted more than a month, cost at least $35,000. Podoll said recommendations for restitution are included in the case and forwarded to the county attorney.
Podoll became emotional Wednesday when talking about the work his department had done in unraveling the caper, finding Ryan Borgwardt and convincing him to return to his family.
"They're the ones who kept this going," the sheriff said, his voice breaking. "I couldn't be more proud of them, of what they did for a family. They didn't give up, and we can stand here today feeling relieved."
When asked if the entire story of the disappearing kayaker will ever be told, Podoll was succinct: "That's gonna be up to him (Borgwardt) ... someday."