The Wisconsin man who allegedly faked his own death before turning up abroad alive and well returned to U.S. soil, where sheriff's deputies booked him into jail, authorities said Wednesday.
Ryan Borgwardt arrived in the United States on Tuesday and was booked into the Green Lake County Jail on unspecified charges, Sheriff Mark Podoll told reporters.
“We brought a father of our own accord,” Podoll said.
The sheriff declined to reveal where Borgwardt had been before he voluntarily came home. He could be asked to reimburse the costs of the search and rescue efforts, Podoll said.
Borgward is scheduled to make his first court appearance later today at 2:00 p.m. CST/3:00 p.m. EST, with further details of his return expected to be announced.
“Relieved,” the sheriff explained his feelings about Borgwardt’s return. “We never stopped. We continue to serve our community with every call we receive.”
Podoll spoke emotionally about his joy in convincing Borgwardt to return to the United States.
However, the sheriff declined to provide details about the man's trip, such as what contacts he had with his family, where he was abroad or which U.S. airport he landed at on Tuesday.
“Right now we’re still in the process of putting this together,” he said.
The sheriff thanked his staff, federal authorities and local volunteers who worked on the case.
“They’re the ones who kept this going,” Podoll said, his voice shaking. “I couldn’t be more proud of them for what they have done for a family. We haven't given up. And you can stand here today relieved.”
Borgwardt is accused of staging his Aug. 12 disappearance while kayaking on Green Lake, about 100 miles northwest of Milwaukee.
When Borgwardt didn't come home that day, searchers found a capsized kayak and his vehicle and trailer at Dodge Memorial County Park.
A frantic air and water search turned up no remains or physical evidence of what became of Borgwardt.
If Borgwardt wanted to go off the grid, the married father of two took an ill-conceived route by using his own passport in Canada and helping authorities track his long journey abroad.
Investigators later determined that he used a small inflatable boat to return to shore, where he had hidden an electric bicycle, officials said. Borgwardt drove it to Madison, boarded a bus to Detroit, crossed the border into Canada and finally boarded a plane, authorities said.
The investigation also revealed that Borgwardt had opened a foreign bank account, officials said.
After an international call for help finding Borgwardt, a Russian-speaking woman contacted Green Lake County sheriff's deputies and helped them contact the wayward father, authorities said.
The sheriff on Nov. 21 released a portion of his department's video call with Borgwardt, who said on Nov. 11 that he was alive and well and living in an apartment. His exact location at this time has not been revealed.
The sheriff had asked Borgwardt to come home and be with his family for the holidays.
“We only spoke to them (the man's family) briefly and I can only imagine how they feel,” Podoll said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
