Overview

• Newly disclosed messages show Ryan Borgwardt told his wife he had “snuck out” to watch the northern lights on Aug. 11, 2024, then texted he was heading back to shore at 10:49 p.m. before going silent.
• Investigators say he overturned his kayak on Green Lake, paddled a child’s inflatable to shore, rode an e‑bike about 70 miles to Madison, took buses through Detroit into Canada, and flew on to Europe.
• Authorities traced months of preparation, including a new bank account, attempts to move money overseas, a wiped computer, photos of his passport, and a $375,000 life‑insurance policy taken earlier in 2024.
• The search for his presumed body stretched roughly seven to eight weeks and cost more than $50,000, drawing on multi‑agency resources before border records indicated he had crossed into Canada.
• Borgwardt was located in Eastern Europe, returned to the U.S. in December 2024, later pleaded no contest to obstructing an officer, received an 89‑day jail sentence with $30,000 restitution, and his wife obtained a divorce in May 2025.