Green Lake missing kayaker Ryan Borgwardt update coming: sheriff
GREEN LAKE, Wis. - The Green Lake County Sheriff's Office announced it will share an update on Wednesday regarding Ryan Borgwardt, the kayaker initially thought to have gone missing this summer but later determined to have faked his own death.
A news conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. FOX6 News will stream it once it begins.
Borgwardt is in police custody, online records show. He was booked into the Green Lake County Jail on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Victim Information and Notification Everyday system.
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Borgwardt contacted
On Nov. 8, the sheriff said investigators began to use various data points – such as phone numbers and email addresses – in an effort to get in contact with Borgwardt.
Investigators contacted a woman who spoke Russian and on Nov. 11, through her, they contacted Borgwardt. In an effort to verify if he was safe, they asked him a number of personal questions and asked him to provide a video of himself – which he did.
"Good evening, it's Ryan Borgwardt," he says in the video, which the sheriff's office shared. "Safe, secure, no problem."
Green Lake missing kayaker Ryan Borgwardt contacted: sheriff
The Green Lake County Sheriff's Office on Thursday announced it has made contact with Ryan Borgwardt, the kayaker believed to have faked his own death.
Disappearance plan
Podoll said Borgwardt told investigators his plan. As of Nov. 21, the sheriff's office said it is still working to verify Borgwardt's statements.
Borgwardt claimed he stashed an e-bike near the Green Lake boat launch and paddled his kayak and a child-sized inflatable boat onto the lake. He overturned the kayak, dumped his phone in the water and paddled the inflatable boat to shore. He then got on the e-bike and rode through the night to Madison, where he got on a bus to Detroit and then the Canadian border. He rode the bus to an airport, where he got on a plane.
Further, the sheriff said Borgwardt told investigators he picked Green Lake because it is the deepest lake in Wisconsin.
Green Lake missing kayaker Ryan Borgwardt alive; diver that searched responds
The Green Lake County Sheriff's Office on Thursday, Nov. 21, announced it has made contact with Ryan Borgwardt, the kayaker initially thought to have gone missing this summer but later believed to have faked his own death.
Investigators previously learned Borgwardt obtained a second passport, cleared his hard drives and browser history and changed his banking information on the day of his disappearance. He also took out a $375,000 life insurance policy and purchased an airline gift card.
As to why Borgwardt tried to stage his death, the sheriff would only say he had a personal matter going on and that this was the "right thing" to do.