Midwest
Missing father of 3 did 'research' to stage his own death and flee the country: sheriff
Wisconsin authorities on Thursday said they successfully contacted a missing father of three who “staged his death” in August and apparently fled the country, though his exact whereabouts is still unknown.
Ryan Borgwardt’s family reported him missing on Aug. 12 when he did not come home, and Wisconsin authorities and volunteers searched for the 45-year-old for months after locating his capsized kayak in Green Lake that same Monday.
On Nov. 8, nearly three months after he vanished, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll announced that a digital forensic analysis of Borgwardt’s computer led officials to determine that the missing father and husband was likely alive “someplace in Europe.”
Now, Podoll is sharing new information about exactly how Borgwardt staged his disappearance and where his missing persons case currently stands.
MISSING FATHER OF 3 MAY HAVE FAKED HIS OWN DEATH AND FLED TO ‘SOMEPLACE IN EUROPE’: OFFICIALS
Borgwardt “took out a $300,000 life insurance policy in January and purchased airline cards,” the sheriff said, all of which led officials to believe he is still alive somewhere — just not in the United States. (Facebook)
“He staged his death, and unfortunately, one of the things that he did say is he didn’t expect us to go more than two weeks in searching for him. Well, I hate to tell you he picked the wrong sheriff and the wrong department.”
“I hate to tell you he picked the wrong sheriff and the wrong department.”
The sheriff announced during a Thursday press conference that earlier this month, officials with the sheriff’s department got in touch with a woman who speaks Russian and was able to connect them with Borgwardt. Podoll added later that the missing father and the Russian-speaking woman apparently met on the internet.
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“That was a big turning point,” Podoll said of their contact with the woman.
After getting in touch with Borgwardt through the woman, the sheriff’s office asked him to send a video of himself to prove that he was safe, as their biggest concern up to that point was that Borgwardt was well and not in danger.
A digital forensic analysis of Borgwardt’s computer led officials to determine that the missing father and husband was likely alive “someplace in Europe.” (Facebook)
Borgwardt complied, and Podoll played his video aloud during the Thursday press conference. In the video, Ryan can be heard quietly saying his name, the date, the time and that he is “safe.”
The sheriff’s office has since had “nearly daily communications with Ryan,” Podoll said.
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Borgwardt has since explained to police that on Aug. 12, the day he disappeared, he parked an e-bike near Green Lake — one of the deepest lakes in Wisconsin — and paddled out onto the lake in a kayak with his fishing rod, phone and a child-sized, inflatable boat. He dumped his phone and fishing rod into the lake, got in the inflatable boat, overturned the kayak and paddled to shore, where he then rode the e-bike to a bus station in Detroit. From Detroit, he traveled to the Canadian border.
Wisconsin officials believe Ryan Borgwardt fakes his own death in August. (Bruce’s Legacy/ Facebook)
Earlier this month, the sheriff expressed that Borgwardt may have gone to a country in Europe, though he clarified on Thursday that the 45-year-old’s exact location remains unknown.
Fishermen on Green Lake “came up with a fishing rod” that officials collected as evidence, and Borgwardt’s wife identified the fishing rod as her husband’s, Podoll said during the Nov. 8 press conference recorded by FOX 11.
“We feel that this was Ryan’s way that he could tell the entire country how he did it.”
“We are continuing to verify this information, trying to put the dots together,” the sheriff explained on Thursday. “We feel that this was Ryan’s way that he could tell the entire country how he did it. There are communications we are expressing the importance of his decision to return home, clean up the mess that he has created.”
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Authorities determined through digital forensic analysis that prior to his disappearance, Borgwardt replaced the hard drive of his laptop, cleared his browser history the day he went missing, took photos of his passport, moved money to a foreign bank, changed his email address and had been in “communication with a woman from Uzbekistan,” Podoll said on Nov. 8, according to FOX 11.
The investigation into Borgwardt’s disappearance will continue and “involve a lot more people” going forward, the sheriff said. (FOX 11)
Authorities had not issued any warrant for Borgwardt’s arrest as of Thursday, and Podoll expressed that they will not have to serve any warrants if Borgwardt decides to “cooperate.”
The sheriff’s office also has not filed any criminal charges against Borgwardt, but local officials are currently working with federal partners to determine how to move forward with potential charges if they are warranted. The FBI is also working on overseas communication.
“He needs to return home to his children. If he chooses not to return, it’s on his own free will, and I think the message is very clear,” Podoll said.
Green Lake County will seek restitution between $35,000 and $40,000 in connection with the resources needed for ongoing efforts to locate Borgwardt.
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What to know about NCAA-tourney bound Wisconsin Badgers softball
The Wisconsin Badgers are headed to the NCAA softball tournament. These are some names to know, as well as some pertinent history.
Wisconsin softball could not keep up with the reigning national champions.
Texas – the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament – run-ruled the Badgers, 9-0, in six innings on May 16 in the Austin regional of the NCAA Tournament, easily sending UW to the consolation side of the double-elimination bracket.
Texas pitcher Teagan Kavan took a no-hitter into the fifth inning until Alivia Bark’s single. The Badgers’ only other baserunner during Kavan’s five innings in the circle was on a walk in the first inning.
The Badgers did not have a runner in scoring position until the sixth inning, when Emily Bojan hit a double off Texas reliever Cambria Salmon.
The Longhorns, meanwhile, wasted no time in distancing themselves from the Badgers with their bats. They scored three runs in the first inning after back-to-back hits by Kayden Henry and Katie Stewart, a sacrifice fly by Viviana Martinez and a two-run home run by Reese Atwood.
Texas scored another two runs on a Henry double in the second inning, prompting the Badgers to pull UW ace Shelby Jacobson. One day after her complete-game win over Baylor, Jacobson gave up five earned runs against the Longhorns in 1 ⅓ innings pitched.
Texas piled on with two more runs in the third inning in small-ball fashion after loading the bases, and completed the run-rule win with Henry’s two-run homer in the sixth inning – her third hit of the afternoon – off UW reliever Jordan Felci. (The mercy rule in college softball is eight runs after five or more innings.)
All three UW pitchers to face the Longhorns – Jacobson, Berritt Herr and then Felci – each gave up at least two runs against the host and SEC tournament champion.
When, who will Wisconsin softball play next
The Badgers will look to keep their tournament run alive later today in a consolation game against the winner of the Baylor-Wagner game. (The winner of UW’s next game would then need to defeat Texas twice on May 17 to win the Austin regional.)
UW defeated Baylor in the first round following Hannah Conger’s walk-off double in the ninth inning. Wagner is coming off a 9-1 loss against Texas. The first pitch of UW’s second game is expected to be at approximately 5 p.m., depending on the duration of the Baylor-Wagner game.
This story will be updated after Wisconsin’s second game against Baylor or Wagner.
Every year, the NFL schedule bring upon something new for the Detroit Lions. This year, it’s a trip to Germany, a rare “Sunday Night Football” game at Carolina, and an early bye week. Oh wait, scratch that last one. It happens all that time.
Another constant on the Lions’ schedule is their divisional opponents. Like every other team, Detroit’s six divisional games make up over a third of their entire schedule. That means Detroit’s record within the NFC North will likely be crucial toward their regular season success. And with all three of their road divisional games crammed into the final four weeks of the season, how Detroit fares in those contests will almost certainly decide where they land in the postseason picture.
Last year, Detroit was swept by both the Vikings and Packers, and even though they ended up sweeping the division-winning Chicago Bears, it wasn’t enough to punch their ticket to the playoffs. So today’s Question of the Day is:
How many division wins will the Lions pick up on their 2026 schedule?
My answer: I’m going with three.
First off, let’s get this straight. There is no universe where getting swept by the Vikings again in 2026 is acceptable. I understand their defense is a very tough matchup for an offense-heavy team like the Lions, but Minnesota’s roster just doesn’t compare to the rest of the division right now—especially with the questions at quarterback. Because the Vikings still always play the Lions tough, I’ll give them a split of the series.
And I’m going to be boring with the other two teams, too. I expect a split with each series. I think Ben Johnson will have a chip on his shoulder after getting swept by Dan Campbell last year and find a way to win one of those games. And while I’m really tempted to predict a sweep of the Packers, I’m just having a hard time seeing it given how well they tend to play against Detroit. The Lions will have the benefit of the bye week going into their first matchup, but a Week 18 game in Lambeau will be tough, even if the Lions managed to beat them in that exact scenario during the 2022 season.
How many division wins do you think the Lions pick up this year? Vote in the poll below and share your reasoning in the comment section.
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MILWAUKEE – Where you live can have a significant impact on how much money you need saved for retirement. And according to a new study, Wisconsin ranks near the middle of the pack in terms of the most and least expensive states for retirees.
Big picture view:
MoneyLion, a consumer finance app and marketplace, examined how much money Americans would need to save each month to retire comfortably in each state. The study weighed factors such as average retiree household expenses, Social Security income and the age at which a person started saving for retirement.
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The study’s full methodology can be found on MoneyLion’s website.
What they’re saying:
Ted Jenkin, managing partner at Exit Wealth Advisors, told FOX Business that state income taxes and real estate property taxes are two of the biggest expenses that retirees need to look at. Thomas Aiello, National Taxpayers Union vice president of federal affairs, added that taxes are a reason some retirees may move to places like Florida, Texas and Tennessee – which offer no sate income tax or “death” tax.
How much in Wisconsin?
Local perspective:
Wisconsin ranked No. 28 in MoneyLion’s study, which determined someone would need to save $1,096,140 to retire comfortably at age 65. That’s based on a $54,807 average annual cost of retirement over 20 years.
To hit that number, MoneyLion said someone would need to start saving $2,030 per month at age 20 or $2,610 per month starting at age 30.
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By the numbers:
MoneyLion’s study also determined the following savings needed to retire comfortably at age 65 (as well as the average annual cost of retirement over 20 years) in neighboring states:
- Minnesota, No. 25: $1,162,628 ($58,131)
- Illinois, No. 34: $1,003,326 ($50,166)
- Michigan, No. 42: $868,526 ($43,426)
- Iowa, No. 43: $821,180 ($41,059)
Hawaii was the most expensive state for retirees, with $3,132,206 needed to retire comfortably at age 65. The most affordable state in the study was West Virginia, with $664,463 needed to retire comfortably at age 65.
The Source: Information in this story is from the MoneyLion study, which referenced data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources. LiveNOW from FOX and FOX Business contributed to this report.
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