A Wisconsin man is alive and well after faking his own death — leaving a long trail of electronic breadcrumbs in the United States, Canada and Europe, authorities said Thursday.
Green Lake County Sheriff’s deputies have been in touch with Ryan Borgwardt, a married father of two who was reported missing in August and now appears to be in Uzbekistan, officials said.
The sheriff played a video conversation the department had with Borgwardt, in which he was wearing an orange t-shirt and assured everyone he was OK.
“Good evening, it’s Ryan Borgwardt,” told the camera. “Today is Nov. 11, it’s approximately 10 a.m. by you guys. I’m in my apartment. I am safe, secure, no problem.”
Borgwardt went out onto Green Lake, where he dumped his phone in the water and used a “child-sized” inflatable boat to get back to shore, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll told reporters.
Borgwardt left an electric bike on shore and rode that to Madison, before boarding a bus to Detroit, crossing into Canada and eventually on to a plane, Podoll added.
The sheriff said his department is trying to talk Borgwardt into returning to America. While investigators did not go into detail about why Borgwardt went to Uzbekistan, they said he wasn’t being held against his will.
“Our concern has been that he safely gets back to U.S. soil,” Podoll said. “He needs to return home to his children. If he chooses not to return, it’s on his own free will and I think the message is very clear.”
The sheriff did not go into detail about what issues Borgwardt might have been facing in the United States to prompt this strange move.
“In our communications, we are expressing the importance of his decision to return home and clean up the mess he has created,” Podoll said.
Borgwardt went missing on Aug. 12 and sheriff’s found a capsized kayak and the man’s vehicle and trailer parked in Dodge Memorial County Park.
An extensive air and water search around the area didn’t turn up any remains or physical clues of what happened to Borgwardt. But an international, electronic trail soon emerged that hinted he was alive and on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Investigators found that he had opened a foreign bank account, changed his email address, was in communication with a woman from Uzbekistan and had his passport run by Canadian law enforcement on Aug. 13, officials have previously said.
Despite the manpower spent to look for him, Sheriff Podoll didn’t rule out that Borgwardt could avoid criminal charges if he just came home.
“We have been continuing to contact the family members regarding our communication with Ryan,” he said. “No warrants have been issued yet. We believe that warrants will not be needed if Ryan cooperates and decides to return home soon.”
With the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays fast approaching, officials hope that could be incentive for Borgwardt to come home.
“We keep pulling at his heartstrings,” Podoll said. “We’re not going to give up. We want to continue, because he needs to come home to his kids.”
Podoll’s voice choked with emotion as he pleaded with Borgwardt to reunite with his family.
“I got one more thing to say,” the sheriff said. “Christmas is coming, and what better gift he could give his kids is to be there for Christmas.”
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