On the morning of August 12, Ryan Borgwardt’s wife contacted authorities, reporting that her husband hadn’t returned from a kayaking trip on Green Lake the previous night and wasn’t answering his phone.

The Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office began a search around 5:32 p.m., focusing on Borgwardt’s last known location at Green Lake. Deputies soon located his vehicle and trailer parked near Dodge Memorial Park. About an hour later, authorities found a capsized kayak in the western part of the lake, where the water is approximately 220 feet deep.

They discovered the life jacket still attached to the kayak, and volunteers joined deputies in the search for Borgwardt.

Twenty-four hours into the search, crews deployed a drone and boats to perform a grid search of the lake. As efforts continued, Sheriff Mark Podoll announced that they were focusing on the lake’s deepest areas, covering hundreds of acres with the assistance of Bruce’s Legacy, a nonprofit specializing in search and recovery.

The sheriff indicated they were now searching for a body, believing Borgwardt drowned in the lake. Three cadaver dogs and a dive team were brought in to assist with recovery efforts.

Sheriff Podoll and his team then shifted their focus to reexamine the investigation from the beginning. They soon discovered that Canadian law enforcement had run Borgwardt’s name on August 13. Although Borgwardt’s passport was initially found at his home, investigators learned he had been issued a new passport on May 22 after reporting the original one lost.

Borgwardt’s wife, Emily, provided his laptop for investigation. A digital forensic analysis revealed that Borgwardt had replaced the hard drive and cleared all browser history the day he disappeared. Investigators believe he is now in Europe.

Further findings showed Borgwardt transferred funds to a foreign bank, changed his email address, and had been communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan before his disappearance.

The investigation also revealed that he had taken out a $375,000 life insurance policy seven months before vanishing and had purchased airline cards. Sheriff Podoll stated, after all they had uncovered, that Borgwardt is “not in our lake.”

Note: After our Crime Stories broadcast, the Green Lake County Sheriff's Office posted this message on its Facebook page: "We do not believe the TikTok video is Ryan. We are in contact with the interviewer. Thank you to all for alerting us of his existence. We have verified this is not Ryan by contacting people who know Ryan." 

Borgwardt returned to the US and was charged. He now learns his fate.

Joining Nancy Grace today: 

• Gregory Morse - Partner at the law firm of King Morse, PLLC. Current CJA counsel (Southern District of Florida), Former West Palm Beach Public Defender's Office. Author: "The Untested," website: kingmorselaw.com
• Keith Cormican - Underwater Search and Recovery Expert. Director, Bruce's Legacy. Searched for 23 days for Ryan in Green Lake.
• Dr. John Delatorre –  Licensed Psychologist and Mediator (specializing in forensic psychology); Psychological Consultant to Project Absentis: a nonprofit organization that searches for missing persons; Twitter, IG, and TikTok – @drjohndelatorre
• Barry Golden – Former Senior Inspector for the U.S. Marshals Service, Owner of Golden Consulting and Investigations
• Baylee Boomhower  - Mental Health Content Creator; TikTok: @authenticalpha/Instagram:@authenticalphaco/ Instagram: bayleeboomhower/; YouTube: @authenticalpha  
• Alexis Tereszcuk - CrimeOnline Investigative Reporter 

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