Ryan Borgwardt with his wife and three children. Photo / Supplied
Ryan Borgwardt with his wife and three children. Photo / Supplied
A US man who faked his own death and left his family three months ago after communicating with a woman in Uzbekistan has been in regular contact with the authorities and sent them a video this month, saying he was “safe” and “secure”.
Mark A. Podoll, Wisconsin’s Green Lake Countysheriff, played the video of the man, Ryan Borgwardt, of Watertown, Wisconsin, at a news conference on Thursday (Friday NZT). In the 24-second clip, Borgwardt is seen recording himself in what looks like a spartan apartment with white walls and a grey door.
“Good evening, it’s Ryan Borgwardt,” he says in a quiet voice. “Today is November 11. It’s approximately 10am by you guys. I’m in my apartment. I am safe, secure, no problem. I hope this works.”
Podoll said authorities did not know exactly where Borgwardt was, but knew it was somewhere in Eastern Europe. He said investigators were in near-daily contact with Borgwardt and were urging him to come home to his family and to “clean up the mess that he has created”.
But Borgwardt, who left behind a wife and three children, has not committed to returning home, Podoll said.
“We keep pulling at his heartstrings,” Podoll said, adding: “We’re not going to give up. We’re going to continue because he needs to come home to his kids.”
In August, Borgwardt, 45, made it appear as if he had drowned while fishing in Green Lake, Wisconsin, leaving behind a capsized kayak and his vehicle, Podoll said. Investigators also found Borgwardt’s fishing rod and a tackle box with his keys, wallet and driver’s licence inside.
Authorities spent weeks searching the lake for his body before a digital forensic analysis of a laptop his wife had given to investigators revealed that Borgwardt had moved money into a foreign bank account and had been communicating with a woman in Uzbekistan, Podoll said.
A still image from a video of Ryan Borgwardt that the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office shared during a press briefing on November 21, 2024. Photo / Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office via The New York Times
Data on the laptop also showed that he had bought an airline gift card and had taken out a US$375,000 ($640,000) life insurance policy to benefit his family, Podoll said.
Borgwardt had tried to cover his tracks by removing his hard drive, wiping his browser history and changing his email address, the sheriff said.
Podoll said that Borgwardt, in his recent communication with investigators, had revealed more about how he had carried out the scheme.
Borgwardt told investigators that after he ditched his kayak in the lake and threw his phone into the water, he got on an e-bike that he had stashed near a boat launch and rode overnight to Madison, Wisconsin. From there, he boarded a bus to Detroit and then to an airport in Canada. He then got on a plane to an unknown destination, Podoll said.
Earlier this month, authorities, using phone numbers and email addresses found on the laptop, managed to reach a Russian-speaking woman, who put them in touch with Borgwardt. Podoll would not confirm whether it was the same woman in Uzbekistan whom Borgwardt had been in touch with before he left Wisconsin.
‘He just had personal matters going on’
Investigators, hoping to confirm that Borgwardt was safe, asked him to record the video, which was shown at the news conference on Thursday.
Podoll would not describe in detail what had motivated Borgwardt to stage his death and leave his family.
“He just had personal matters going on, and he felt this was the right thing to do,” he said.
He said Borgwardt had expressed remorse for the ordeal he put his family through and for the time and money spent searching for his body in Green Lake. The search involved divers, boats with sonar scanners and a non-profit organisation dedicated to finding victims of drowning.
“He says, ‘You know, I got myself in a situation, and I just got to try to get myself out of it,’” Podoll said.
If Borgwardt returns to Wisconsin, he could face an obstruction charge for having staged his own death, Podoll said. Officials are also seeking restitution for about US$40,000 that was spent on the search for Borgwardt’s body in Green Lake, Podoll said.
But Podoll said authorities are focused first on urging Borgwardt to come home. The sheriff’s voice began to break with emotion as he made one final plea at the end of his news conference.
“Christmas is coming,” he said. “And what better gift” could Borgwardt give his children, the sheriff added, than “to be there for Christmas”.
