Wisconsin
Missing Wisconsin kayaker might have faked death, fled country: Authorities
Missing WI kayaker could now be in Europe
A missing kayaker in Wisconsin, Ryan Borgwardt, allegedly swapped out his computer’s hard drive and took out a $300K life insurance policy before he disappeared.
MADISON, Wisc. (FOX 9) – When Ryan Borgwardt didn’t return home from a fishing trip on Green Lake in southeastern Wisconsin in early August, local authorities believed he had drowned.
But now they believe he is alive and well, instead of at the bottom of the lake.
“This one tops my 18-and-a-half-years of being sheriff. It didn’t turn out the way we thought it was going to turn out. It turned out completely different,” Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podell told FOX 9.
After Borgwardt disappeared, sheriff’s deputies found his van and trailer in a nearby park and then his capsized kayak in the lake, as well as his fishing pole and tackle box with his wallet, keys and ID inside.
But after scouring that section of the lake that is over 200-feet deep in some parts dozens of times over 54 days, investigators decided to look in a different direction.
“The pieces started adding up more and more that he is definitely not in our lake,” said Podell.
Investigators discovered Borgwardt had recently transferred money to a foreign bank account, replaced the hard drive on his computer and communicated with a woman in Uzbekistan.
He had also gotten a new passport, which was checked by Canadian authorities the day after he was reported missing, and had taken out a $375,000 life insurance policy earlier in the year, leading investigators to believe Borgwardt faked his death and fled the country.
“You don’t see this happening every day. It’s not normal to all of a sudden just leave your family,” said Podell.
Investigators believe Borgwardt is in Eastern Europe, but they aren’t sure where.
They say they won’t stop looking for him until they find him.
“We’re going to continue to follow through on this case until we can’t turn over any more leads,” said Podell.
Podell says he wants restitution for the resources they spent looking for Borgwardt.
He is also looking at whether Borgwardt broke any laws, but so far he hasn’t been charged with any.
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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