The Wisconsin man, who allegedly faked his own death before turning up alive and well overseas, returned to U.S. soil where sheriff’s deputies booked him into jail, authorities said Wednesday.
Ryan Borgwardt returned to the United States on Tuesday before he was taken to the Green Lake County Jail on unspecified charges, Sheriff Mark Podoll told reporters.
“We brought a dad back on his own accord,” Podoll said.
The sheriff declined to reveal where Borgwardt had been staying before coming home of his own volition. He could be asked reimburse the costs of the search and rescue efforts, Podoll said.
“Relieved,” the sheriff said explaining his emotions of Borgwardt’s return. “We never stopped. We continue to serve our community in whatever call we get.”
Borgwardt is accused of staging his Aug. 12 disappearance while kayaking on Green Lake, about 100 miles northwest of Milwaukee, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll told reporters.
When Borgwardt didn’t come home on that day, searchers found a capsized kayak and his vehicle and trailer parked in Dodge Memorial County Park.
A frantic air and water search didn’t not turn up any remains or physical clues of what became of Borgwardt.
If Borgwardt wanted to go off the grid, the married father of two took an ill-conceived path as he used his own passport in Canada and helped authorities trace his long journey overseas.
Investigators later found he used a small inflatable boat to get back to shore where he had stashed an electric bike, officials said. Borgwardt rode it to Madison, boarded a bus to Detroit, crossed into Canada and eventually boarded a plane, authorities said.
The probe also found that Borgwardt had opened a foreign bank account, officials said.
After international call for help to find Borgwardt, a Russian-speaking woman reached out to Green Lake County Sheriff’s deputies and helped them contact the wayward father, authorities said.
The sheriff on Nov. 21 released a part of his department’s video conversation with Borgwardt, who on Nov. 11 said he was alive, well and living in an apartment. His exact location at that moment wasn’t disclosed.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.