Wisconsin dad who faked his own death, fled to Europe reveals how he did it

Ryan Borgwardt, the hubby and begetter of 3 who authorities said faked his ain decease astatine a Wisconsin lake earlier fleeing the U.S., is present successful interaction with constabulary but the section sheriff says helium won’t uncover his location.

Search and rescue teams searched tirelessly for Borgwardt’s assemblage successful Green Lake for 54 days, aft helium was past heard from connected Aug. 11, erstwhile helium called his woman to fto her cognize helium was finishing up his paddle but ne'er returned home.

While they recovered his truck, kayak, life-jacket, sportfishing rod and tackle container successful the days aft helium went missing, his assemblage was ne'er recovered, and successful caller weeks the probe turned to his idiosyncratic life.

Last week, aft weeks of probing, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll dropped a bombshell: constabulary believed Borgwardt, 45, had fled the country to eastbound Europe aft faking his ain death.

On Thursday of this week, Podoll told reporters they had yet tracked down the missing dad, confirming their suspicions.

Podoll said they began making interaction with Borgwardt past week aft investigators connected with a pistillate who speaks Russian.

“The large quality is that we cognize he’s alive,” Podoll told reporters, according to WJBF. “The atrocious quality is we bash not cognize wherever helium precisely is, and helium has not yet decided to instrumentality home.”

Podoll said they inactive judge helium is determination successful eastbound Europe and urged Borgwardt to instrumentality location to the U.S. and “clean up the messiness he’s made.”

He besides suggested that Borgwardt whitethorn beryllium ashamed of the antagonistic attention the lawsuit has received and hesitant to instrumentality retired of fear.

“I tin spot that,” Podoll continued. “He staged his death, and unfortunately, 1 of the things helium did accidental is that helium didn’t expect america to spell much than 2 weeks searching for him. I hatred to archer him that helium picked the incorrect sheriff and the incorrect department.”

Last week, Podoll said his section learned that Canadian instrumentality enforcement authorities had tally Borgwardt’s name done their databases the time aft helium was reported missing, but did not clarify wherefore they ran his sanction oregon connection further details.

Further probe revealed that Borgwardt had reported his passport mislaid oregon stolen and had obtained a caller 1 successful May. His household easy recovered his archetypal passport, the sheriff said.

An investigation of a laptop — constabulary did not accidental whose — revealed a integer way that showed Borgwardt had planned to caput to Europe and tried to mislead investigators.

The laptop’s hard thrust had been replaced and the browsers had been cleared connected the time Borgwardt disappeared. Investigators besides recovered passport photos, inquiries astir moving funds to overseas banks and connection with a pistillate from Uzbekistan. They besides discovered that Borgwardt besides took retired a US$375,000 beingness security argumentation successful January.

On Thursday, they played a cellphone video for reporters that Borgwardt sent them connected Nov. 11.

“I’m successful my apartment. I americium safe, secure,” Borgwardt said successful the video, per CBS News.

Podoll said Borgwardt has admitted to staging his death. He overturned his kayak, paddled backmost to enactment successful a smaller, inflatable boat, rode his e-bike much than 100 kilometres to a autobus presumption successful Wisconsin and near for Canada earlier hopping connected a formation to Europe.

ABC News reports Podoll became affectional during Thursday’s property conference, ending the lawsuit with a heart-wrenching plea.

“Christmas is coming, and what amended acquisition helium could springiness his kids is to beryllium determination for Christmas with them.”