![\"\"](\"https:\/\/newssoccer.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Ryan-Borgwardt-kayak-lake-120324-2d92da7c7c0742d199f5fc1ad100c89e-300x200.webp\")
Like many other locals who make it through brutal Wisconsin winters, the Borgwardt family looked forward to summer and spending time outdoors.<\/p>\nLike many other locals who make it through brutal Wisconsin winters, the Borgwardt family looked forward to summer and spending time outdoors.<\/p>\n
In the summer months, Ryan Borgwardt, 44, who owns a woodworking company, his wife Emily Borgwardt, 44, a first-grade teacher, and their three teenaged children, Jeremiah, Levi and Norah, enjoyed themselves: They swam in the pool in the backyard of their Watertown home, they hung out together at barbecues and they kayaked in the state’s many pristine lakes.<\/p>\n
On Aug. 11, Ryan left home and drove an hour north to go kayaking in Green Lake, the deepest body of water in Wisconsin. At 10:45 p.m., he texted Emily to let her know he was headed back to shore.<\/p>\n
That was the last time she ever heard from him.<\/p>\n
Worried, Emily called 911 the next morning to report her husband of 22 years missing. Green Lake County Sheriff\u2019s deputies quickly found Ryan\u2019s vehicle and trailer parked near Dodge Memorial Park on the southwest side of the lake.<\/p>\n
They also found Ryan\u2019s capsized kayak in a part of the lake that was 220-feet deep. A lake visitor found Ryan\u2019s life jacket and tackle box with his keys and wallet still inside.<\/p>\n
For more about Ryan Borgwardt\u2019s mysterious disappearance,\u00a0subscribe now to PEOPLE\u00a0or pick up this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n When a massive search and rescue operation failed to locate Ryan, he was presumed dead, leaving his wife and children grieving.<\/p>\n “While I will never understand why God had to take Ryan home way sooner than I would have liked, I will be forever at peace knowing that he\u2019s enjoying heaven with his Savior,” Emily wrote in a heartfelt post on social media.<\/p>\n Authorities searched for Ryan\u2019s remains until a shocking twist came that no one saw coming: On Nov. 8, Green Lake County Sheriff Mike Podoll announced at a press conference that Ryan was very much alive.<\/p>\n Podoll said he’d called off the search for Ryan in early October after he and his team learned that Canadian law enforcement had checked Ryan\u2019s passport on Aug. 13 \u2014 the day after he vanished. \u201cThat was something we didn\u2019t expect,\u201d Podoll said.<\/p>\n Authorities now say Ryan began plotting his disappearance as far back as January, when he took out a $375,000 insurance policy \u2014 possibly to take care of his family in his absence \u2014 and bought airline gift cards.<\/p>\n Podoll ended his remarks on Nov. 8 with an emotional plea to the runaway dad. “Ryan, if you’re viewing this, I plead that you contact us or contact your family,” he said. “We understand that things can happen, but there’s a family that wants their daddy back.”<\/p>\n Then came another bombshell. At a second press conference on Nov. 21, Podoll revealed that his department had gotten in touch with Ryan on Nov. 11, with the help of a Russian-speaking woman, possibly the woman from Uzbekistan and that he is believed to be living in Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n Reaching Ryan \u201cwas a big turning point and our concern was that he was safe and well,\u201d Podell said.<\/p>\n To prove to them this was actually him, the sheriff\u2019s office asked him to provide a \u201cproof of life video,\u201d which the sheriff showed at the press conference. In the 24-second video Ryan appears to have filmed on his phone, he can be seen standing in front of a gray front door with a peephole and deadbolt, saying in hushed tones, \u201cGood evening. It\u2019s Ryan Borgwardt. Today is Nov. 11. It\u2019s approximately 10 a.m. by you guys. I\u2019m in my apartment. I am safe, secure, no problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Ryan also told the sheriff\u2019s office how he pulled off his plan to disappear, Podoll said. After stashing an e-bike near the boat lodge, Ryan paddled his kayak and a child-sized inflatable boat out into the lake and overturned the kayak, the sheriff said.<\/p>\n He paddled the inflatable boat to shore and got on, got on his e-bike and rode through the night to Madison. There, he boarded a bus to Detroit and then to the Canadian border. He continued on the bus to \u201can airport and got on a plane,\u201d Podoll said.<\/p>\n As for why Ryan chose to disappear so mysteriously, all the sheriff said was, \u201cHe just had personal matters going on, and he felt this was the right thing do.\u201d<\/p>\n Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for\u00a0<\/em>PEOPLE‘s free True Crime newsletter\u00a0for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Ryan could face criminal charges and pay restitution of at least $40,000 if he returns to the U.S., Podoll noted.<\/p>\n Podoll said he admires Emily’s grace and strength throughout the bizarre ordeal. \u201cThat is one strong lady,\u201d he said. “Whenever we called on her, she always responded and she gave everything that she could for us.”<\/p>\n As for the entire family, he said, “I cannot imagine what … they’re going through.’ Noting how supportive they are of each other, he added, “They continue to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Like many other locals who make it through brutal Wisconsin winters, the Borgwardt family looked forward to summer and spending time outdoors. In the summer months, Ryan Borgwardt, 44, who owns a woodworking company, his wife Emily Borgwardt, 44, a first-grade teacher, and their three teenaged children, Jeremiah, Levi and Norah, enjoyed themselves: They swam 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Father of 3 Faked His Disappearance in Kayak Accident and Fled to Europe: Authorities<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nOn Aug. 11, Podoll said, Borgwardt took photos of his passport, changed his email, moved money to a foreign bank \u2014 and had been communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDad Accused of Faking Death in Staged Kayak Accident Sends Video Confirming He’s Alive<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n