Wisconsin kayaker turned himself in after officials say he faked his death and fled to Eastern Europe

By Karina Tsui, Amanda Musa and Taylor Romine, CNN

(CNN) — A Wisconsin man who officials say faked his own death and fled to Eastern Europe was charged with a midemeanor count of obstructing an officer Wednesday after he turned himself in to authorities.

Ryan Borgwardt, who was reported missing in August, flew back to the United States willingly, arriving Tuesday, said Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll, who remained tight-lipped on why the man left his wife and three children by allegedly staging a kayaking accident, and where exactly he’s been for the past four months.

“He came back on his own,” said Podoll during a news conference Wednesday. When asked by the media why Borgwardt decided to return, Podoll added, “His family, I guess.”

Borgwardt appeared in court Wednesday and said he could not afford an attorney and offered to represent himself. Circuit Court Judge Mark T. Slate reminded the defendant he has the right to a court-appointed attorney and could request one if needed.

Slate entered a not guilty plea on Borgwardt’s behalf and ordered a $500 signature bond. When asked about setting a bond, Borgwardt said, “I have $20 in my wallet. That’s what I have.”

If convicted of the obstruction charge, Borgwardt faces a maximum penalty of a $10,000 fine and nine months in jail, Judge Slate said.

At the request of the prosecutor, Slate did not order but instead requested the media not share images of Borgwardt’s family members. He denied requests for a gag order in the case and for Borgwardt to surrender his passport.

Podoll declined to share details of Borgwardt’s time away or whether he has been in touch with his family. The investigation involved a number of state and federal agencies including the FBI and Homeland Security, he added.

Borgwardt, 45, was reported missing August 12 after failing to return from a fishing trip on Green Lake, about an hour north of his home in Watertown, Wisconsin.

For seven weeks, the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office searched for Borgwardt’s body with the help of trained volunteers but found only the man’s kayak and a tackle box containing a set of keys, a wallet and his license. Eventually, officials uncovered evidence that Borgwardt had fled to Europe by way of Canada.

Investigators made contact with the father of three on November 11, when they say they learned he executed a plan to fake his own death for a “number of reasons” unknown to the public.

Authorities communicated with Borgwardt almost daily, Podoll said during a news conference in late November, adding that Borgwardt appeared to be safe but had still not spoken to his family.

How Borgwardt ‘disappeared’

On the day he vanished, Borgwardt traveled to Green Lake – one of Wisconsin’s deepest inland lakes – with a plan to fake his own drowning, according to Podoll, who detailed the man’s scheme.

The experienced kayaker paddled out onto the water where he deliberately overturned the vessel, tossed his phone and returned to shore in a child-sized inflatable boat, Podoll said.

Borgwardt then rode an e-bike through the night about 80 miles to Madison, Wisconsin, where he then boarded a bus to Detroit, eventually crossing the Canadian border and flying to Europe, Podoll said.

Before his disappearance, Borgwardt transferred funds to a foreign bank account, changed his email and communicated with a woman in Uzbekistan, according to Podoll. A criminal complaint filed Wednesday said Borgwardt brought approximately $5,500 in cash with him.

Investigators were ultimately able to contact Borgwardt through a Russian-speaking woman, Podoll said, though he declined to say whether she was the woman he had been communicating with in Uzbekistan and whether he was with her.

Borgwardt told police he heavily researched how to dissapear by looking up previous cases, and that “everything hinged on me dying in the lake” and the “whole idea was to sell the death,” the complaint said.

In January, Borgwardt took out a $375,000 life insurance policy, which Podoll said was intended to help his family.

“In our communications, we are expressing the importance of his decision to return home and clean up the mess that he has created,” Podoll said. Borgwardt has expressed regret for how he has hurt his family and “also feels bad about the amount of hours that we have put in the community,” the sheriff said.

The long, expansive search for Borgwardt was a costly and emotionally taxing endeavor for both his family and search crews, Podoll said.

Borgwardt’s family has experienced emotional whiplash after mourning him for weeks and then coming to terms with his purported abandonment, the sheriff said on “CNN News Central” last month.

Borgwardt previously told investigators he thought they would stop searching for him after about two weeks, officials said.

“He picked the wrong sheriff and the wrong department,” Podoll said.

The search for Borgwardt

On the morning of August 12, Borgwardt’s capsized kayak was found in the lake and his vehicle and trailer were found at a nearby park, Podoll said.

The following day, two fishermen casting along the lake found a fishing rod that belonged to Borgwardt, his wife told officials. A tackle box was found later that day with several of Borgwardt’s belongings: a set of keys, a wallet and his license.

In October, investigators learned from Canadian officials Borgwardt had entered the country on August 13.

Borgwardt’s passport was found at the family home, but learning he left the country gave investigators a break in the case and prompted them to search his computer and dig deeper, according to Podoll.

Investigators found Borgwardt had replaced the hard drive on his laptop and cleared his browser history on the day of his disappearance, Podoll said. He had also reported his passport stolen and obtained a replacement last spring.

Though the county will seek restitution for the taxpayer-funded search efforts, that does not include the thousands of dollars spent by the non-profit Bruce’s Legacy, which helped in the underwater search for Borgwardt’s body. Borgwardt told police he didn’t realize organizations like that existed, the complaint says.

Keith Cormican, director of Bruce’s Legacy, told CNN he spent nearly 30 days working on the case. The first two weeks of the search alone will cost him about $10,000 due to damaged equipment and other expenses, he said.

“My success rate is pretty good,” Cormican told CNN. “To not be able to find him … really had me questioning my abilities. And I lost a lot of sleep over it.”

CNN’s Elizabeth Wolfe and Bill Kirkos contributed to this report.

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