GREEN LAKE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Ryan Borgwardt, a Wisconsin man who allegedly faked his death and went to Europe is now in custody.
Sheriff Mark Podoll said Borgwardt arrived on U.S. soil Tuesday and was booked into the jail into the Green Lake County Jail.
“We brought a dad back, on his own accord,” Podoll said during a news conference Wednesday. The sheriff also added that Borgwardt was being cooperative and believed he felt compelled to return home for family.
However, Podoll would not say what investigators may have said to Borgwardt in their communications to make him want to return to Wisconsin.
The sheriff’s office says it has recommended obstruction charges to the district attorney for them to review.
Court officials say Borgwardt will appear at 2 p.m.
Borgwardt was reported missing in August after a kayaking trip on Green Lake. For months, local, state, and federal authorities searched for the man they originally thought drowned.
Then, in November, sheriff’s officials made the shocking announcement that they believe Borgwardt faked his death and traveled to Europe after communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan.
The runaway sent a video to the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office on Nov. 11 to prove his was alive and safe and wasn’t being held against his will.
Borgwardt told investigators how he was able to fake his own death, explaining he capsized his kayak on Green Lake, paddling back to shore in a small inflatable boat.
He then rode an e-bike, he stashed near a boat landing, from Green Lake to Madison. From Madison, he said he took a bus to Detroit, crossing over into Canada. Once in Canada, Borgwardt said he took a plane to Europe.
Green Lake County is seeking restitution of $35,000 to $40,000.
Sheriff Podoll did not cite specifically why Borgwardt decided to fake his own death, but said it was for multiple reasons.
In communications with Borgwardt, Sheriff Podoll said he expressed remorse for wasting the county’s resources and time in searching for him.
