'I really don't think there's anything that was a lie': What the Wisconsin kayaker who faked his own drowning and fled the country told investigators

"As the deputy took out his binoculars and gazed over the pier to see if he could spot anyone in the distance that morning in August 2024, he almost certainly could not have imagined that not only would Borgwardt not be found stuck in the lake, but would end up being traced across the world to the country of Georgia."

"A husband and father of three, Borgwardt gained national attention last year after disappearing following an apparent trip to the lake to kayak and resurfacing months later in a video recorded in an undisclosed location where he maintained he was safe. Borgwardt, who could not be reached for comment for this report, pleaded no contest last month to obstructing an officer and was sentenced to 89 days in jail."

Ryan Borgwardt disappeared after texting his wife that he was heading back from a kayaking trip at a Green Lake County, Wisconsin, lake in August 2024. First responders found his kayak but not him, and deputies earlier inspected his parked minivan near the water. Months later Borgwardt resurfaced in a video from an undisclosed location claiming he was safe and later acknowledged that he intended to make his death appear real. He traveled to Georgia to pursue a relationship with a woman he met online. He pleaded no contest to obstructing an officer, received an 89-day jail sentence, and agreed to pay $30,000 restitution for search costs.

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