GREEN LAKE – The good news, according to officials in Green Lake County: missing Wisconsin kayaker Ryan Borgwardt is alive after they say he faked his own death.
The bad news: his whereabouts remain unknown.
Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll says they made contact with Borgwardt on November 11th, and requested he send a video confirming he was safe. Borgwardt did so, sharing in a video revealed Thursday he was safe, but not revealing where he was.
“He dumped his phone in the lake, then paddled his inflatable boat to shore, got on his ebike, and rode through the night to Madison,” said Sheriff Podoll. Borgwardt then explained he took a bus to Detroit, before crossing into Canada and catching a flight out of the country.
While Borgwardt’s exact location is unknown, Sheriff Borgwardt says they believe he is somewhere in eastern Europe. Authorities say his family has been informed of the latest developments, but that Borgwardt has not contacted his wife or children directly.
Sheriff Podoll says the department intends to file an obstruction charge against Borgwardt, and is seeking between $35,000 and $40,000 in restitution from Borgwardt for their efforts trying to locate him on Green Lake. The department is unsure of how long they will continue trying to search for Borgwardt.
“One of the things he did say was he didn’t expect us to go more than two weeks searching for him,” said Sheriff Podoll Thursday. “Well, I hate to tell you [but] you picked the wrong sheriff, and the wrong department.”
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