A Dramatic Escape in Wisconsin: Father Staged His Own Death
In the US state of Wisconsin, 45-year-old Ryan Borgwardt devised an extremely dramatic plan to be able to leave his wife and three children. In August, he staged his own death by appearing to drown in a lake. He was believed to have fled to Europe, during which time his family thought he had disappeared. However, Borgwardt sent a ‘I’m fine’ message to the police, announcing that he was alive.
Borgwardt was last seen on 12 August at Green Lake, where he had gone fishing alone. At that time, search and rescue teams found an overturned canoe and a lifejacket in the lake. Authorities also found his car and wallet and conducted an extensive 54-day search of the lake. However, they were unable to recover Borgwardt’s body. This led the authorities to launch a more detailed investigation.
Realising that Borgwardt’s name had been checked at the Canadian border, the teams decided to conduct a more thorough investigation. The man contacted authorities about three months after his disappearance. Police said Borgwardt was alive and well but did not know where he was. Borgwardt, who sent a video to police teams, stated that he was at home and said , “I am safe, there is no problem. I hope this works,” he said.
The sheriff said the man fled due to ‘personal matters’. Borgwardt also explained in detail how he escaped in the video he sent to the police. He had travelled about 80 kilometres from his home in Watertown, overturned his boat on the lake and threw his phone into the water. Borgwardt, who stated that he chose this place because he thought it was the deepest lake in Wisconsin, continued his journey on an electric bicycle after leaving the lake.
Borgwardt reportedly boarded a plane after reaching Canada by bus. There is currently no clear information about his whereabouts. However, it is stated that he could be accused of obstructing the investigation into his disappearance. The sheriff announced that the search for Borgwardt’s body cost at least 35 thousand dollars. It was emphasised that whether the man returned or not depended on his ‘free will’. In addition, the veracity of Borgwardt’s claim that he left his family to be with a woman from Uzbekistan has not yet been clarified.
