On August 12, 2024, 45-year old Ryan Borgwardt left home with his kayak to go fishing; he never returned home. Search teams found his capsized kayak and a life jacket floating in Green Lake, a large lake in Wisconsin with a maximum depth over 200 ft.
Borgwardt’s van and trailer were also found parked by a nearby boat launch. A few days later his fishing rod, tackle box, keys, and wallet were also recovered.
The search for a missing kayaker in Green Lake, Wisconsin
Search and recovery efforts began as the case of the missing Wisconsin kayaker was immediately considered a likely drowning. Meanwhile, Borgwardt’s wife and three children mourned the loss of their husband and father.
The search included the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, The Green Lake County Sheriffs Department, and Bruce’s Legacy, a nonprofit dedicated to the search and recovery of drowning victims able to lend valuable expertise and sonar equipment to help locate victims.
They soured the lake every day for several weeks until August 24, at which point they brought in three cadaver dogs and an experienced dive time according to a statement by Sheriff Mark Podoll.
The search continued through the summer but by the end of September there was still no trace of Borgwardt.
Keith Cormican, founder of Bruce’s Legacy, went to Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll on October 4.
“Sir, I’ve done a lot of searches and I can’t find him,” Cormican explained. Cormican wasn’t ready to give up; he requested additional sonar technology to continue in his search of the lake for Borgwardt.
It was around this time that Sheriff Podoll began to suspect something was amiss. On October 7, he gathered his crew, suggesting it was time they considered other possibilities. Shortly thereafter, they found records showing his passport was checked by Canadian authorities the day after his disappearance.
From search to investigation
From here, investigators analyzed Borgwardt’s laptop and found questions about moving funds to foreign banks, a life insurance policy for $370,00 purchased in January 2024, and a history of messages with a woman from Uzbekistan.
The mission to recover Borgwardt quickly turned into an investigation. The FBI is now involved and goals are to identify any crimes committed, pursue for expenses in searches funded by taxpayers.
In total, 54 days were put into the search for Borgwardt, with 28 days put in by Cormican alone.
“Twenty-eight of them days on that lake searching for Ryan. When he wasn’t searching, he was looking over data. Looking over data, trying to figure out if he missed something,” shared Sheriff Podoll of the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office in a press conference.
Sheriff Podoll asks that anyone with information contact the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
