A Wisconsin father who tried to fake his own death and then fled to Asia to be with his mistress accidentally exposed his affair during a botched laptop back-up.
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, sparked a massive manhunt back in August after making it seem like he had drowned in a tragic kayak accident.
But despite his meticulous planning and an epic e-bike escape, investigators became convinced he was still alive.
It was reported that he had been traced to a country in Eastern Europe, which has now been identified as Georgia, which is bisected by Europe and Asia.
Borgwardt is now back on US soil and has been charged with obstructing an officer over the huge $35,000 manhunt launched to try and find him.
The criminal complaint details how the married, father-of-three accidentally alerted the authorities to his affair by performing a back-up of his devices, which saved a photo of his mistress onto a laptop he had left at home for his wife, Emily.
‘Ryan stated that he had attempted to back up the laptop that he left back at home for Emily,’ the complaint reads.
‘He stated that he apparently backed up too many things and that too much data came over.’
Wisconsin father Ryan Borgwardt who tried to fake his own death and then fled to Asia to be with his mistress accidentally exposed his affair during a bungled laptop-back up
It is unclear if the photo was discovered by stricken Emily, or sheriff’s deputies tasked with investigating his disappearance.
He realized his error when he received an email from Green Lake County Chief Deputy Mathew Vandekolk which contained a picture of the woman.
‘Ryan stated that is heart hit the floor,’ the filing continues. ‘Ryan also stated he saw the picture of [the adult female that he went to meet] and knew that he made a mistake, the one mistake that he couldn’t make.’
He told police that he had left the laptop at home to make his death appear more believable.
The move was part of an intricate plan designed to fool his family and the authorities, which included staging his death and an escape into Canada, before he fled overseas.
The getaway began after Borgwardt paddled to the deepest part of the lake and blew up an inflatable raft.
He then climbed aboard, flipped his kayak and dropped his phone in the water, leaving behind the boat’s life preserver, according to the complaint.
He told investigators he then paddled to shore but became entangled in the lake’s detritus and, ‘ended up to almost his hip area with muck’.
‘Ryan stated that once he got to shore, he ended up in a lot of muck and cattails,’ the document reads. ‘Ryan stated it was difficult to get out of the water.’
Borgwardt, 45, (pictured with his wife Emily) sparked a massive manhunt back in August after making it seem like he had drowned in a tragic kayak accident
In reality he fled to Georgia to be with his mistress. He has since returned to the US of his own volition and was held at Green Lake County Jail before he was taken to court and charged with obstruction
The bedraggled man said he then hopped onto an e-bike he had stashed nearby and began peddling westbound, but struggled to turn on the vehicle’s power.
Eventually he figured it out, but then became so cold he was forced to change his clothing at the side of the road, the document states.
He said he then cycled to a park where he ditched the e-bike, his clothing and his inflatable raft and boarded a Greyhound bus bound for Toronto.
After some probing at the Canadian border, Borgwardt was eventually allowed through and caught a flight to Paris, France.
From there he flew to Georgia, where he told police his mistress was waiting for him at the airport and the two then hunkered down in a hotel for a few days.
Once he was 6,000 miles from his family, Borgwardt told police he began checking the news using a VPN connection to hide his true location.
He told investigators he was not prepared for how long the search would go on or how many valuable resources would be wasted.
‘We did confirm with Ryan that he intentionally placed his kayak, tacklebox, fishing pole, and left his cell phone in the lake to make law enforcement and everyone else believe that he had drowned in Green Lake,’ the complaint states.
The criminal complaint states that Borgwardt exposed his affair after he performed a back up of his electronic devices which sent a picture of his mistress to a laptop he had left at home
Police would like Borgwardt to pay for the manhunt, which cost around $35,000
‘Ryan knew that law enforcement from Green Lake County would respond and begin a search for him.
‘Ryan’s intent was to mislead the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office.’
As part of restitution, Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office is seeking to compel Borgwardt to foot the bill.
At a press conference yesterday, Chief Mark Podoll refused to comment on whether Borgwardt has been in contact with his wife since his plot was uncovered.
In the months after his disappearance, Borgwardt’s community in Watertown had banded around his family, even selling sweatshirts to raise money to help with the search.
The shamed father appeared in court from Green Lake County Jail where he was charged with obstruction and released on a $500 bond payable if he breaks the terms of his release.
Borgwardt remained largely mute during the proceedings, speaking only to state that he would represent himself as he cannot afford a lawyer.
A judge entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. His next court appearance is December 23.
