Wisconsin

Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death and fled to Asia says plan was a ‘crazy, emotional dream’

Published

4 months ago

September 9, 2025

Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death and fled to Asia says plan was a ‘crazy, emotional dream’

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin kayaker who faked his own death so he could start a new life with a woman in the country of Georgia texted his wife he loved her on the night he executed the plan, telling her he had gone to the lake to watch the northern lights.

Emily Borgwardt woke up alone the next morning, her desperate texts of “Where are you????” and “Babe?” going unanswered. By that point her husband, Ryan Borgwardt, had already overturned his kayak on Green Lake and biked through the night to catch a bus to Canada, the first leg on his journey to the Georgian capital of Tibilsi to meet a Ukranian woman he was secretly courting online.

The texts were among a massive file of case documents the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office released to The Associated Press this week that offer a glimpse into the couple’s tense marriage. In one included interview, Borgwardt told detectives that he was a failure and called his plan to abscond to the country at the crossroads of Europe and Asia a “crazy, emotional dream.”

Borgwardt, 46, was convicted of obstruction last month. His wife divorced him in May. The AP left a phone message Tuesday for her attorney, listed in online court records as Andrew Griggs.

An elaborate plot and frantic search

The cabinetmaker, who lived with his wife and their three children in Watertown, traveled about 50 miles (80 kilometers) to Green Lake to go kayaking on the night of Aug. 11, 2024. He never came home.

Sheriff’s deputies discovered his kayak on the lake in an area where the water was about 200 feet (60 meters) deep. The search for his body went on for 50 days.

Borgwardt had intentionally overturned the kayak and paddled back to shore in an inflatable raft. He retrieved an electric bike he had stashed nearby and rode 70 miles (112 kilometers) through the night to the Wisconsin capital of Madison, where he caught a bus to the Toronto airport.

He eventually made it to Tibilsi where he met a woman named Katya he’d met on a dating website in December 2023. By February of 2024 they had become close friends and he began researching how to fake his own death that April so he could be with her.

Sheriff’s investigators eventually contacted him via email using information on a laptop he had left behind. They convinced him to return to Wisconsin in December, largely by pleading with him to do right by his family.

‘A door kind of opens up for you’

Before they booked Borgwardt into jail, investigators asked him during a three-hour interview why he did it.

He said he felt like a failure, saying later in the interview that he has accumulated about $75,000 in credit card debt and $130,000 in business debt. He said he didn’t have a good relationship with his wife and his children didn’t want to do anything with him anymore.

“I think just the inability to feel like you could talk to your wife about some of this stuff, and maybe the complete hopelessness that you have in the situation that you’re in,” he said. “And you end up meeting a friend somewhere on the other side of the world who sort of has a somewhat similar story and you just end up becoming friends and the friend thing ends up turning into more, but you didn’t really plan on that.

“It wasn’t your intention. So a door kind of opens up for you in a way to possibly make things work like that,” he added.

He said he hoped that he could avoid detection long enough to be declared legally dead. At that point he planned to apply for citizenship in Georgia but hadn’t figured out how to do that if he was declared dead.

A revealing text exchange

The tension in the Borgwardts’ marriage was evident in their last texts the night he fled.

He told her at 10:36 p.m. that he “may have snuck out on a lake.”

“That would have been nice to know,” Emily Borgwardt responded. “I was beginning to wonder why you weren’t home.”

After he apologized, she responded: “Nothing new. I should be used to it by now. So many nights I have no idea where you are when it’s late.”

He responded that he’ll work on their communication, adding that he saw the northern lights and they were pink. He then texted: “I love you…. goodnight.”

Emily Borgwardt told him that she loved him, too, and to be safe.

“I’ll be heading back to shore soon,” he responded at 10:49 p.m., his final message before his wife’s frantic ones at 5:12 a.m. asking where he was.

Throughout the interview with detectives Borgwardt repeatedly asked whether Katya was in trouble, too. He said he would like to return to her because the cost of living is so much cheaper in Georgia than in the U.S.

At the end of the interview, he asked the detectives if he could use the justice center’s Wi-Fi to let Katya know he was OK. One of the deputies tells Borgwardt he’ll email her for him.

Borgwardt pleaded no contest to the obstruction charge on Aug. 26. He was sentenced to 89 days in jail.

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Associated Press writer Scott Bauer contributed to this report.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Jan. 12, 2026

Published

4 hours ago

January 13, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for Jan. 12, 2026

The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 12, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 12 drawing

05-27-45-56-59, Powerball: 04, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 12 drawing

Midday: 1-6-6

Evening: 3-2-6

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 12 drawing

Midday: 2-2-8-3

Evening: 6-9-0-3

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning All or Nothing numbers from Jan. 12 drawing

Midday: 06-09-10-12-13-15-17-18-20-21-22

Evening: 05-07-09-10-11-13-17-18-19-20-22

Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Badger 5 numbers from Jan. 12 drawing

14-16-21-28-30

Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning SuperCash numbers from Jan. 12 drawing

07-09-25-32-34-35, Doubler: N

Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.

Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?

No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.

When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.

That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.

Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **

WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Wisconsin

Here’s how you can buy one of the new Wisconsin license plates

Published

17 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Here’s how you can buy one of the new Wisconsin license plates

If you want to get one of the two new Wisconsin license plates, you can order them now.

The new plates – the blackout design and the “butter” yellow design – are available on the Division of Motor Vehicles’ new online portal. They’re also stocked at most DMV regional offices and participating car dealerships.

You’ll pay a $15 fee up-front, plus $25 annually. Personalizing the characters is an extra $15 each year.

Along with the new plates, you can order any of the other 60 specialty designs through the portal.

Customers who apply online and don’t want a personalized message could get their new plates within a week.

If you want to personalize the plate, you can see a preview online and check if the message is already taken. DMV staff then review the personalization requests, and delivery can take several weeks.

You can also renew vehicle registration at the same time and pay online, rather than mailing in a check or money order.

The new plates were approved in the state budget this summer, kicking off several months of design work at the state Department of Transportation. State officials unveiled the designs in December.

State officials anticipate the plates will generate more than $25 million for road projects in the first three years.

The “blackout” plate is a simple black-and-white theme, similar to the popular Road America plate. Lawmakers have considered creating the plates in Wisconsin for nearly two years, citing success in other states.

The “butter” plate isn’t pale yellow or shaped like a stick of margarine, but rather a throwback to the standard plate design of the 1970s and ’80s. Unlike the blackout plate, it includes “America’s Dairyland” text on the bottom.

Non-personalized blackout plates will begin with the combination “ZAA-1001,” and yellow plates will start with “YAA-1001.” There are seven characters available for personalized combinations.

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Wisconsin

College hoops roundup: No. 9 Michigan rolls past Wisconsin

Published

1 day ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

College hoops roundup: No. 9 Michigan rolls past Wisconsin

Ann Arbor — Olivia Olson scored 21 points and No. 9 Michigan never trailed while rolling to an 86-60 victory over Wisconsin on Sunday.

Te’Yala Delfosse made her first career start and had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Mila Holloway also had 18 points for the Wolverines (14-2, 5-1 Big Ten).

Kendall Dudley contributed 11 points with eight rebounds and Brooke Quarles Daniels surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career while scoring eight points. Quarles Daniels also had eight rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Destiny Howell led Wisconsin (11-6, 3-3) with 12 points. Breauna Ware added 11 points and Laci Steele chipped in 10. The Badgers committed 23 turnovers, which the Wolverines converted into 25 points. Michigan also scored 19 points off 21 offensive rebounds.

The Wolverines’ Syla Swords, their second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game, sat out due to an injury sustained in a 105-65 win over Penn State on Thursday.

Flustered by Michigan’s pressing and trapping defenses, the Badgers missed their first eight shots and committed eight fouls and seven turnovers before scoring their first points – Shay Bollin’s 3-pointer with 1:39 left in the first quarter. By then, the Wolverines had built a 16-point lead.

Olson finished the half with 17 points, including a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to give the Wolverines a 46-21 halftime advantage. Their lead never dipped below 20 points in the second half.

Former Michigan star Diane Dietz (1979-82) had her No. 21 jersey raised to the Crisler Center rafters during a pregame ceremony. Dietz, who was the program’s first 2,000-point scorer, is currently the deputy commissioner of the Big Ten Conference.

Michigan State 85, at Oregon 81

Rashunda Jones scored 23 points, and Michigan State rallied from a double-digit deficit in the first half to beat Oregon for the Spartans’ eighth straight win.

Ines Sotelo scored four points and Jones made a pair of free throws in a 6-0 spurt that gave Michigan State the lead for good, 78-75, with 2:46 remaining. The Spartans trailed by as many as 16 points early in the second quarter.

Jones finished 9-of-12 shooting that included two 3s for Michigan State (16-1, 5-1 Big Ten). Grace VanSlooten added 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Kennedy Blair scored 11 points, and Emma Shumate and Jalyn Brown each had 10.

Katie Fiso scored 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting and had nine assists to lead Oregon (14-4, 2-3 Big Ten). Sofia Bell and Mia Jacobs added 18 points apiece for the Ducks. Ehis Etute chipped in with 11 points.

Sunday’s state men

(At) Detroit Mercy 94, Cleveland State 84: Tyler Spratt had 19 points in Detroit Mercy’s 94-84 victory against Cleveland State on Sunday.

Spratt shot 5 for 10 (4 for 8 from 3-point range) and 5 of 5 from the free-throw line for the Titans (7-9, 4-3 Horizon League). Orlando Lovejoy scored 18 points and added seven rebounds, nine assists, and eight steals. Lance Stone shot 3 of 7 from the field, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and went 4 for 4 from the line to finish with 11 points.

Jaidon Lipscomb finished with 30 points and four assists for the Vikings (5-13, 1-6). Cleveland State also got 19 points and six assists from Chevalier Emery. Dayan Nessah had 13 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks.

Wright State 94, at Oakland 84

Solomon Callaghan scored 27 points as Wright State beat Oakland 94-84 on Sunday.

Callaghan shot 8 of 11 from the field, including 6 for 9 from 3-point range, and went 5 for 5 from the line for the Raiders (11-7, 6-1 Horizon League). Kellen Pickett added 18 points while shooting 7 of 10 from the field and 4 for 4 from the line and also had 11 rebounds. TJ Burch went 7 of 16 from the field (2 for 3 from 3-point range) to finish with 18 points, while adding six assists. It was the sixth straight win for the Raiders.

Brody Robinson led the way for the Golden Grizzlies (9-9, 5-2) with 35 points and four steals. Oakland also got 15 points, six rebounds and two steals from Tuburu Niavalurua. Brett White II also recorded 11 points.

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