BRISTOL, CT - JULY 29: Police tape is seen in front of Pine Lake as Connecticut State Police officers search the Lake looking for a gun that (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi for The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Get Carlee Russell on the line, STAT! A Wisconsin dad who has been missing for over 90 days might’ve actually faked his disappearance. That’s the conclusion local authorities in Green Lake County came up with after searching for Ryan Borgwardt for 54 days.
August 11 was the last time Ryan’s wife had contact with him. The couple reportedly share three children, per PEOPLE. By 5:32 p.m. the next day, the wife called Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office to report her husband missing.
Authorities later recovered his car and trailer near Dodge Memorial Park. Then, they found a flipped-over kayak in the western area of Green Lake, which was reportedly about 220 feet deep. The next day, fishermen on the lake found Ryan Borgwardt’s fishing rod. Officials also recovered a tackle box with the missing dad’s wallet, keys, and license.
Police also relied on experienced divers and search dogs to help their efforts. Meanwhile, a volunteer organization called Bruce’s Legacy also hosted and led a 28-day search for Ryan Borgwardt.
By Oct. 7, Sheriff Mark Podoll began questioning the dad’s missing status. He and his team met that same day and opted for “a different direction.”
The first red flag after the disappearance was thatCanadian law enforcement checked Ryan’s passport on Aug. 13, the day after his wife reported him missing.The second red flag was that Ryan reported his passport missing months before, on May 22, 2024, and got it replaced. Additionally, he had photos of his passport.
That’s not all, though. Ryan also moved money to a foreign bank, took out a $375,000 life insurance policy in January, purchased airline cards, changed his email address, and communicated with a woman in Uzbekistan.
On the day he went “missing,” the dad of three cleared his laptop’s browser. He also had the device’s hard drive replaced. With all of these findings in mind, the police now believe the “missing dad” actually staged his disappearance and fled to Europe. However, at this time, the reason for such an elaborate escape is unclear.
“Due to these discoveries of the new evidence, we were sure that Ryan was not in our lake,” Sheriff Podoll said at a news conference on Nov. 8. Furthermore, the Wisconsin sheriff thanked the Wisconsin man’s wife and children before pleading with Ryan to reach out.
“Ryan, if you are viewing this, I plead that you contact us or contact your family,” the sheriff said. “We understand that things can happen, but theres a family that wants their daddy back.”
If found, it’s unclear whether Ryan will face any legal consequences like Carlee Russell did after her staged kidnapped in July 2023.
