A shocking case out of Wisconsin has captured worldwide attention: a man who faked his own death on a lake to secretly start a new life with a woman thousands of miles away.
On the night of August 11, 2024, 46-year-old Ryan Borgwardt kissed his wife goodnight, telling her he was going out to watch the northern lights from his kayak on Green Lake. Hours later, his kayak was found overturned in 200 feet of water. Authorities launched a 50-day search, fearing he had drowned.
What no one knew was that Borgwardt had already paddled back to shore in an inflatable raft, retrieved an electric bike he had hidden nearby, and biked through the night. By dawn, he was on a bus to Canada… beginning a carefully orchestrated escape plan.
Investigators later discovered Borgwardt had been secretly building a relationship with a Ukrainian woman named Katya, living in Tbilisi, Georgia. They met online in December 2023 and quickly grew close. By spring 2024, he was researching how to fake his own death so he could join her.
When questioned by detectives, Borgwardt admitted the elaborate scheme was fueled by overwhelming debt, a strained marriage, and feelings of failure. He described his plan as a “crazy, emotional dream” and said he hoped to remain undetected long enough to be declared legally dead so he could start fresh in Georgia.
In August 2025, Borgwardt pleaded no contest to obstruction charges and was sentenced to 89 days in jail. Despite the chaos he caused, he repeatedly asked investigators if Katya was “in trouble too” and admitted he still dreamed of returning to her, citing Georgia’s cheaper cost of living.
