Wisconsin Man Fakes His Own Death to Flee His Family

A man in Wisconsin is believed to have faked his own death in order to flee to Eastern Europe.

Now, the man has been located -- but it's unclear when or if he's coming home, or whether law enforcement has the power to make him do so.

In August, authorities received a missing persons report after 44-year-old Ryan Borgwardt, a married father of three, went missing during a solo journey on Green Lake, according to local CBS affiliate WBNS.

Responding officers found an overturned kayak, fishing gear and a life jacket on the water. His car was nearby, Borgwardt himself was nowhere to be found.

In the part of the lake where the gear was located, water reaches a depth of 200 feet. Despite the best efforts of divers, nothing was retrieved from the water.

The search for Borgwardt continued on for 54 days. It wasn't until Canadian authorities ran his information through their database that anything odd was discovered. It showed that Borgwardt had applied, and received, a duplicate passport, claiming his original copy had been lost. His wife was easily able to locate the original passport inside their home.

More red flags came from Borgwardt's laptop. Apparently, he had been communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan -- and he constructed a well-laid-out plan to flee to Europe and meet her there.

There were also numerous searches on how to transfer money to an off-shore account.

Authorities also discovered that in January of 2024, Borgwardt had taken out a $375,000 life insurance policy out on himself.

NBC reports that Borgwardt communicated with police on Nov. 11,  sending them a video message from an undisclosed location to prove that he's okay. "I'm safe and secure, no problem," he says in that tape.

Will Borgwardt Face Any Criminal Charges for Faking His Own Death?

• Currently, Borgwardt is facing no charges.
• Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll says that he could be charged with obstructing the investigation into his disappearance, according to NBC.
• Costs involve in the search mission are estimated to be at least $35,000.
• A nonprofit organization called Bruce's Legacy, which focuses on recovering drowning victims, was heavily involved in the search. Keith Cormican, who runs the company, says it was "disheartening" to spend so much time and effort on finding Borgwardt only to learn that his disappearance had been a hoax.
• "He definitely cost us a lost of grief, a lot of money, repairs and equipment," Cormican noted, adding he hopes for a speedy resolution "so the family can move on."