Father who went missing and left his wife and kids to mourn actually faked his disappearance and fled the country, officials discover

A Wisconsin father of three who vanished during a kayaking trip in August 2024 faked his disappearance and fled the country, abandoning his grieving wife and kids who likely feared the worst, local authorities announced Friday, Nov. 8. 

Ryan Borgwardt, 45, was reported missing by his family on August 12 following a kayaking trip at Green Lake he never returned from and was initially believed to have drowned, the Green Lake County Sheriff‘s Office said during a press conference on Friday afternoon. 

The search for Borgwardt at Green Lake lasted eight weeks with the local community pouring countless hours and resources into the search for missing dad. 

An overturned kayak and lifejacket that authorities believe belonged to the missing father were eventually recovered. His vehicle was also found near Dodge Memorial Park. 

But as local law enforcement and dive teams scoured the waters, Borgwardt fled to Europe, the sheriff’s office said. 

The sheriff’s office finally got a lead when its investigators took a new approach in early October and began scouring computer files and even international partnerships to find any crumbs Borgwardt may have left behind. 

In their search, officials found that the missing father’s name had been checked by law enforcement in Canada the day after he was reported missing. 

His laptop had the most evidence, leaving a lengthy digital trail for authorities to follow. 

Borgwardt had been communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan online, opened a whole new bank account, looked into moving funds to foreign banks, and wiped his computer — but the digital footprint remained. 

The “missing” father’s escape was elaborately planned. He had even acquired a new passport in late May and left his original one at his home before his kayaking trip, the sheriff’s office said 

It is not immediately clear how long Borgwardt was planning to flee his family for a new life abroad, but his digital trail dated back at least seven months to when he inexplicably purchased a $375,000 life insurance policy in January, officials said. 

All search efforts for Borgwardt in Wisconsin have ended, but authorities believe that he has since fled to Europe and are pleading for him to return on behalf of his family. 

“Ryan, if you are viewing this, I plead that you contact us or contact your family. We understand that things can happen, but there’s a family that wants their daddy back,” Sheriff Mark Podoll said in an emotional plea during the press conference.