Dad Who Allegedly Staged Kayak Accident Confirms He’s Alive, Won’t Reveal Location

Ryan Borgwardt, the Wisconsin man who authorities allege faked his death in a staged kayak accident, is alive, authorities confirmed.

The Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said at a press conference on Thursday, Nov. 21, that his office made contact with Borgwardt through a Russian-speaking woman on Nov. 11. Authorities do not know where the missing father of three is, but said that he is safe and somewhere overseas.

Borgwardt sent a video to deputies from his apartment, in which he says it is “November 11” and that he was in his apartment and was “safe, secure, no problem.”

Podoll says they have not yet been able to pinpoint Borgwardt’s location but that he is believed to be in Eastern Europe. The sheriff said that the man’s family wants him to return home, noting that “Christmas is coming.”

Authorities previously said that Borgwardt had been reported missing in August, when his family last heard from him. A search of Green Lake led to a capsized kayak, Borgwardt’s fishing rod and tackle box in the lake. The box contained his license.

But after more than 54 days, Borgwardt’s body was never found. The search involved both authorities and volunteers, all of whom were unable to locate the missing father.

The search changed directions when, in October, police learned that Borgwardt’s name was checked by Canadian authorities the day after he disappeared.

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Police then searched his laptop and discovered that he had allegedly replaced his hard drive and deleted his internet history on the day he went missing. Later, authorities found that Borgwardt had allegedly taken pictures of his passport, moved money to a foreign bank account, changed his email and had been in communication with a woman in Uzbekistan.

Podoll says his office has been in consistent contact with Borgwardt, who he says is worried about how he could be received if he returns home.

“We keep pulling at his heartstrings,” Podoll says. “We’re not going to give up. We want to continue, because he needs to come home to his kids.”