- Ryan Borgwardt — the father of three children accused of orchestrating his own death in a kayaking accident — is reportedly in custody in Wisconsin
- The 45-year-old man was previously suspected of drowning after his capsized boat was found in Green Lake in August
- The Green Lake County Sheriff's Office confirmed last month that it had obtained “proof of life video” of the man who was reported missing on August 12 by his wife, Emily
A Wisconsin father of three accused of staging his own death in a kayaking accident is in police custody, according to multiple reports.
PEOPLE reported earlier this month that 45-year-old Ryan Borgwardt – who was previously presumed drowned after kayaking in Green Lake in August – resurfaced in Eastern Europe and sent a 24-second “proof of life video” to authorities on 11 .November.
Borgwardt was then booked into the Green Lake County Jail on the afternoon of Tuesday, December 10, media outlets including the Associated Press, CNN and ABC News reported, citing the Victim Information and Notification Everyday system. No charges were listed, according to the releases.
A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday, December 11 at 10 a.m. local time to provide an update on Borgwardt, the Green Lake County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Facebook.
Sheriff Mark Podoll did not immediately respond when PEOPLE reached out to him for more information.
Green Lake County Sheriff's Office
The update comes after Podoll said at a news conference on November 21 that his office managed to contact Borgwardt on November 11 through a Russian-speaking woman.
Borgwardt sent a video to officers from his apartment in which he explained that it was “November 11th” and that he was “safe, no problem.”
Podoll initially held a press conference on the Borgwardt case on November 8th after a 54-day search for the man. The sheriff explained how Borgwardt's vehicle and trailer were found parked in the area of Dodge Memorial Park on August 12, with his last known location at that time being Green Lake.
About an hour after the first alarm was raised just after 5:30 p.m. local time that day, authorities found a capsized kayak in the western part of the lake in an area where the water is about 220 feet deep, the sheriff previously told reporters .
The next day, fishermen found Borgwardt's fishing rod in the same lake before his tackle box was also discovered. Inside was Borgwardt's wallet, keys and driver's license; who last contacted his wife Emily via text message on August 11 at 10:45 p.m. The couple, who have been married for 22 years, share three teenage children – Jeremiah, Levi and Norah.
When the major search and rescue operation failed to find the missing man, he was presumed dead, leaving his wife and children in mourning.
But things took a shocking turn when Podoll and his team learned that Canadian law enforcement had checked Borgwardt's passport on August 13, the day after he was reported missing. “This was something we didn’t expect,” Podoll said earlier at the Nov. 8 conference.
Podoll said that on August 11, Borgwardt took photos of his passport, changed his email address and transferred money to a foreign bank account – and that he communicated with a woman from Uzbekistan.
Authorities believe Borgwardt began planning his disappearance as early as January, when he took out a $375,000 insurance policy – possibly to provide for his family in his absence – and purchased airline gift cards.
After his disappearance, Borgwardt told the sheriff's office how he carried out his plan, revealing that he had hidden an e-bike near the boathouse before paddling his kayak and a child-sized inflatable boat onto the lake, as PEOPLE previously reported.
After flipping the kayak, he paddled the inflatable boat to shore before hopping on his e-bike and riding through the night to Madison, Wisconsin. There he boarded a bus to Detroit before making his way to the Canadian border.
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Podoll explained that Borgwardt took the bus “to an airport and boarded a plane there.”
As to why Borgwardt wanted to disappear so mysteriously, the sheriff said: “He was just dealing with personal matters and he felt like this was the right thing to do.” [to] Do.”
Podoll previously noted that Borgwardt would have to be prosecuted and pay at least $40,000 in restitution if he returned to the United States
