Found Alive WI - Ryan Borgwardt, 45, Green Lake, 11 Aug 2024 *evidence that he faked his death and is alive in Eastern Europe*

[priyaya]

Interesting the Sheriff said he purchased the insurance policy for his family and not himself or his supposed new woman.

His lack of smarts showed too when he thought that he could leave a digital footprint a mile long and then fake his death and in a week or two everyone would just shrug and say OK guess he’s dead let’s pay out this massive life insurance policy he just bought and not check his online profile.

My guess is he was having martial and financial issues and met the woman who spoke Russian online and they concocted this craziness together. The guy was working a menial job supporting three kids and by the looks of the family’s social media profile was living somewhat of a comfortable lifestyle so in this economy it’s easy to see how that could happen.

IMO he decided he wanted to run away and take the cowards way out because he had this woman waiting for him and he thought he would take care of his family with the life insurance, they think he died, etc and life goes on. Sheriff noted many times that his “plan didn’t work like he thought it would”.

I also suspect the Sheriff was treading lightly in calling him a deadbeat family abandoner because they legit don’t know where he exactly is and want him to eventually come home and face all of this and if you rail against him in a news conference he will undoubtedly see, he may go into deeper hiding.

The other issue is legally speaking if he doesn’t face the music for restitution for the futile recovery efforts, it may fall back on his wife which would add insult to injury. Regardless, this story is far from over.

He took the investments not the joint bank account wife would know.

 

[priyaya]

Bbm.
Re. the bolded : Oh, no.
Hopefully not !
I don't believe they would do this, but we'll see.
Omo.

Unfortunately yes that is why marriage is also a legal arrangement, which boils down to money property and kids even if you want out later

Divorce exists for a reason, also legal, and this guy thought he was above it and could make out on top.
What fallacy

 

[PommyMommy]

Nov 21, 2024

Man Who Faked Kayaking Death Says in Video He’s ‘Safe’

Ryan Borgwardt, who is believed to be in Eastern Europe and has been communicating with the authorities, has not committed to returning to the U.S., officials said.

www.nytimes.com

Mr. Borgwardt told investigators that after he ditched his kayak in the lake and threw his phone into the water, he got on an e-bike that he had stashed near a boat launch and rode overnight to Madison, Wis. From there, he boarded a bus to Detroit and then to an airport in Canada. He then got on a plane to an unknown destination, Sheriff Podoll said.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/21/us/ryan-borgwardt-wisconsin-fake-death-found-alive/index.html

Investigators were ultimately able to contact Borgwardt through a Russian-speaking woman, according to Vande Kolk, though he declined to say whether she was the woman he had been communicating with in Uzbekistan or whether he is currently with her.

Ryan Borgwardt: Kayaker who faked death sends video to police

Police say Ryan Borgwardt is believed to be in Eastern Europe, and has sent a video to prove he is safe.

www.bbc.com

He is believed to have acted alone, he said. He added that Mr Borgwardt has not had any contact with his family since he left.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/midwest/wisconsin-officials-to-give-update-on-ryan-borgwardt-the-missing-kayaker-believed-to-have-faked-his-own-disappearance/

Borgwardt could face an obstruction charge in Wisconsin and may be required to repay the $35,000–$40,000 spent on search efforts. Federal charges are also possible, though no decision has been made. While a warrant is not currently in place, authorities noted that could change as the investigation progresses.

 

[VivianV]

I've seen people be located just from images of an apartment interior before, so should be a matter of time.

Can anyone tell what the logo on his shirt is? Is that from the USA?

 

[Marie A]

What a weirdo.
My heart really goes out to his wife and children.
Such a cowardly and selfish betrayal.
This is really creepy and the ugliest thing you can do to those who love you the most.
He’s shunned his family and been too self consumed to even talk to his wife and kids.
I think of someone like Beau Shroyer who won’t ever have the chance to see his beloved wife and children ever again.
Then there’s this asinine creep who just throws it all away.
It’s mind boggling.
All IMHO

 

[MyJoey]

Crazy! Dang I was away all day, can’t even, don’t even know what to say except….leave him there!

 

[Tower]

Am I correct in assuming the insurance policy he took out cannot be cashed by his family unless they locate his body (with Ryan knowing this, as he was planning to flee the country) ?
Agreed 100 % to the above poster who said it's worthless.
Omo.


Bbm.

I believe they could have him declared legally dead and collect the money, but they would have to wait 7 years, so obviously his family would be struggling until then.

SSA Handbook § 1721

When is a missing person presumed dead?

www.ssa.gov

 

[ACG2x]

I suspect at this time, the reasons why LE is treating this the way they are would be to satisfy three potential goals:

1. Legal aspect
Sort out all the things that they think he should be charged with and more importantly - what they are willing to charge him with. This case became very public and was a significant cost and Green Lake County has a population of under 20,000. I am nearly certain they wouldn't try to go after the wife and kids to pay restitution - although legally they could. Reading the family's social media pages and others from the area, they are very churchgoing, close-knit, smaller town folk. I live next door in MN and know many of these people and they are good ones so I think the Sheriff wouldn't want to punish the wife for something he did. But in the end, I think the publicity this one got will demand that he is charged with something.

2. Financial aspect
See above. There was a monetary cost incurred by multiple agencies - several of which don't really have the budget to be eating that. I suspect the Sheriff is playing nice for now because he knows it will have to get ugly with threats and such which may cause him to go into deeper hiding. I suspect they either know where he is or are close to finding the exact location and if they spook him now, he may run and break contact which would ensure he never returns. I also suspect they are looking at proposals for how to seek restitution that's fair and not again scare him into running again.

3. Family aspect
The small town mentality is strong in Green Lake. You can tell by how the Sheriff speaks. i'm sure he saw firsthand the family's pain because he told them the truth when they confirmed it. I think he wants to try to play nice for now so he can get Ryan to return for the first two for sure, but also for this one and even if he is going to walk out of their lives forever, at least get some closure - I mean even for his kids because I can't imagine their shock of thinking we will never see our Dad again.

For now, I think the Deputy Sheriff is maintaining open communication to keep him with them while they work out a proposal which I suspect would involve pleading guilty to something. What that something exactly is I strongly believe will depend on his willingness to return to face this and set up a restitution plan. If he just tells them to pound sand and starts breaking communication, then they will explore all of the legal routes to get him back here regardless of extradition rules - where there's a will there's a way.

What I fear though is that he's already made a bunch of really dumb decisions and hasn't shown much aptitude to outsmart or outwit anyone. So hopefully they can guide him to the right choice here. Either way, he's not just walking away from this. Not yet anyway.

 

[Charlot123]

Very true but why not just leave VS fake your own death. Did he really think he would not get caught…..crazy.

Perhaps he did feel some guilt about living his family for a (trying to keep my mouth shut not to tell what I think about the woman) and insured his life? Then staged a kayaking accident so that the family could get life insurance? He is leaving a huge family behind.

I wonder if he was a gambler.

 

[Charlot123]

Hopefully the woman in Uzbekistan is real rather than a honeytrap...

I guess she is real, but I would not be surprised if she is a “webcam content creator”, to put it mildly?

 

[truthfinder2019]

The vanished expat has an apartment, wherever he is. But authorities aren’t sure how he’s managing to support himself.

Dad who faked own death and fled to Eastern Europe reveals how he did it — after cops find him through Uzbek mystery woman

Father-of-three Ryan Borgwardt vanished during a kayaking trip in August, leaving his forlorn family fearing the worst after he never came home from Green Lake, about an hour-and-a-half north of Ma…

nypost.com

As for the missing man himself, he reportedly has an apartment tucked away somewhere in the world. However, how he’s footing the bills or keeping himself afloat remains anyone’s guess. Authorities are still scratching their heads over his financial Houdini act.

<modsnip - not an approved source>

 

[priyaya]

I wonder if he was a gambler.

I am also curious about this. They said he didnt commit any crimes but had a lot going on. But don't think he could have saved and transferred enough to escape the debt.

Although we still don't know about the money transferred out. Where did it come from, How much he took out, and if he transferred to her or something else. That is something the feds will track and charge down the line.

He went to the extreme of leaving behind a passport to not raise suspicion with family while getting a fresh one they would never know he used until later.

What's clear is he planned this out for over 6 months, probably longer. He could have stopped at any time and didn't seem to be in danger to anyone.

He gets 0 sympathy for me. He stopped adulting and thinks that's okay.

 

[FansBlowing]

My bet is this guy has gotten himself some secret money somehow. Bitcoin is almost $100,000 per coin right now. His disappearance and the rise of Bitcoin coincides.

 

[AnyNameIWish]

Crazy! Dang I was away all day, can’t even, don’t even know what to say except….leave him there!

100% THIS.
It's like.....momma, let's put one foot ahead of the other AND MOVE on. Clearly this clown isn't worth your time, he has big issues that aren't going to just resolve after a dinner at Olive Garden with the family.

Ryan is going to regret his choices and the kids will have to pick up the pieces as they move thru life, but Ryan is growing old every day and we can only think he will realise what he's thrown away...

But there is NO way his soon to be ex wife needs to welcome him back with open arms. I'm just not a softie.

 

[SluethinAway]

I've seen people be located just from images of an apartment interior before, so should be a matter of time.

They will be able to get the encrypted data on this video somehow...patiently waiting.

 

[SluethinAway]

Agreed, I don't think he did.

I'd imagine the authorities are treading lightly ?
IF there's more to this case than meets the eye.
Omo.

I think the reason they aren't being more specific about where they think he is could be because they know internet sleuths will be on it.
If he monitors these things, then he will know and run.
If they carry on as if they have no clue, he thinks he is safe.

 

[Herat]

They will be able to get the encrypted data on this video somehow...patiently waiting.

I think that door behind him in the video is a distinctive design and will likely be able to indicate which country or region he was in when it was filmed.

 

[priyaya]

Yes and Crypto is treated very differently in the regions around there.
i dont know how it works exactly but that was my first thought in how he could have had money stashed
but it wouldn't have been worth a lot at the time, the market was pretty predictable when he went missing until recent
however if I were him and managed to be living safe with bitcoin in the bank he could do pretty well around a lot of countries there.

 

[wnk]

100% THIS.
It's like.....momma, let's put one foot ahead of the other AND MOVE on. Clearly this clown isn't worth your time, he has big issues that aren't going to just resolve after a dinner at Olive Garden with the family.

Ryan is going to regret his choices and the kids will have to pick up the pieces as they move thru life, but Ryan is growing old every day and we can only think he will realise what he's thrown away...

But there is NO way his soon to be ex wife needs to welcome him back with open arms. I'm just not a softie.

I understand the sentiment, but it sounds like a logistical nightmare. In Wisconsin, you have to prove that you attempted to serve divorce papers to the other person, which can be difficult if you don't know where they are. (How Do I Get Divorced if My Partner Disappeared? - Moen Sheehan Meyer) And then he's still entitled to 50% of their property. How do you sell your house/car to downsize if he's still listed as a co-owner? How do you file taxes? How do you protect your finances, your retirement funds, your children if you are still legally married and he could just show up again someday out of the blue whenever he feels like it?

By refusing to come back and settle his affairs, he's putting a huge undue burden on his family. "Wanting him to come back" may be more about wanting him to admit what he did was wrong and to take responsibility for those actions.

 

[AnyNameIWish]

B

And then he's still entitled to 50% of their property. How do you sell your house/car to downsize if he's still listed as a co-owner? How do you file taxes? How do you protect your finances, your retirement funds, your children if you are still legally married and he could just show up again someday out of the blue whenever he feels like it?

I am a gazillion times sure that in this particular case, any family judge with a sense of what is right and wrong will not put the Mrs through any more than she's already been through.

They have contact with the clown. Let him sign away his assets and divorce papers, he can sow his wild grechka with his new love.

I hope the Sheriff is playing nice in this manner just SO eventually clownRyan will do just this. He doesn't need to come back. BYE.

I find it hilarious they did mention he was concerned about how he would be received if he DID return. LOL that's the least of your worries, you narcissist!!!!!!