MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin man apparently faked his own drowning this summer so he could abandon his family and flee to eastern Europe, investigators say.
Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said in a news release Friday that the Dodge County Sheriff's Office informed his agency on Aug. 12 that Ryan Borgwardt of Watertown had gone missing after he went kayaking on Green Lake. Borgwardt’s wife said that he texted her at 10:49 p.m. on Aug. 11 saying he was heading to shore.
Deputies located Borgwardt's vehicle and trailer near the lake. They also found his overturned kayak with a life jacket attached to it on the lake, in an area where the waters run more than 200 feet (60 meters) deep. An angler later discovered Borgwardt's fishing rod.
Investigators had speculated that Borgwardt's kayak capsized and he didn't have a life jacket. The search for his body went on for more than 50 days, with divers on several occasions exploring the lake.
Bruce's Legacy, a nonprofit organization that specializes in recovering drowning victims, searched about 1,500 acres (6 square kilometers), often in more than 100 feet (30 meters) of water, and scoured hours of sonar data and images to no avail.
In early October, Podoll's department learned that Canadian law enforcement authorities had run Borgwardt's name through their databases the day after he was reported missing. The news release did not say why they ran his name or offer any further details about the circumstances.
Further investigation revealed that Borgwardt had reported his passport lost or stolen and had obtained a new one in May. His family easily found his original passport, the sheriff said in the release.
An analysis of a laptop — the release did not say whose — revealed a digital trail that shows Borgwardt had planned to head to Europe and tried to mislead investigators.
The laptop's hard drive had been replaced and the browsers had been cleared on the day Borgwardt disappeared, Podoll said in the news release. Investigators found passport photos, inquiries about moving funds to foreign banks and communication with a woman from Uzbekistan. They also discovered that Borgwardt also took out a $375,000 life insurance policy in January.
“At this time we believe that Ryan is alive and likely in Eastern Europe,” Podoll said in the news release.
He added that his agency will continue to work with federal and international law enforcement to determine whether Borgwardt committed any crimes and whether anyone helped him. The sheriff also plans to seek restitution for search expenses.
Podoll didn't immediately return a message left Tuesday by The Associated Press seeking more details. Attempts to reach Borgwardt family members by telephone weren't successful.
Keith Cormican runs Bruce's Legacy in honor of his brother, Bruce, a Black River Falls firefighter who drowned searching for a drowning victim in 1995. He called the Borgwardt search “disheartening," saying he could have used the time he spent searching for Borgwardt helping other families.
“You meet all kinds in the world and I guess this guy went to the extremes faking his disappearance, so it's a first,” Cormican said. “He definitely cost us a lot of grief, a lot of money, repairs and equipment. I just hope he comes forward sooner rather than later so the family can move on.”
Authorities this past January extradited an elusive U.S. fugitive named Nicholas Rossi from Scotland to Utah, where he's accused of two sexual assaults. Investigators believe he faked his own death and fled the U.S. to avoid charges. He was arrested in Scotland in 2021 after being recognized at a Glasgow hospital during treatment for COVID-19.
This story has been updated to correct the spelling of “Podoll” and “Borgwardt” throughout.
Keith Cormican, founder of Bruce's Legacy, a nonprofit organization that specializes in recovering drowning victims, searches the waters of Green Lake, Wis., during the search for missing kayaker Ryan Borgwardt in in September 2024. (Keith Cormican via AP)
Gary Goerge, a volunteer with Bruce's Legacy, a nonprofit organization that searches for drowning victims, scans the surface of Green Lake, Wis., during the search for missing kayaker Ryan Borgwardt in August 2024. (Keith Cormican via AP)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The person inside the Tesla Cybertruck that burst into flames outside President-elect Donald Trump’s Las Vegas hotel suffered a gunshot to the head before the explosion, officials said Thursday.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill said at a news conference that a handgun was found at the feet of the man who's been identified as Matthew Livelsberger. Officials believe the shot was self-inflicted.
Livelsberger served in the Green Berets, highly trained special forces who work to counter terrorism abroad and train partners, the Army said in a statement. He had served in the Army since 2006, rising through the ranks with a long career of overseas assignments, deploying twice to Afghanistan and serving in Ukraine, Tajikistan, Georgia and Congo, the Army said.
He was awarded two Bronze Stars, including one with a valor device for courage under fire, a combat infantry badge and an Army Commendation Medal with valor. Livelsberger was on approved leave when he died, according to the statement.
The FBI said Thursday in a post on X that it was “conducting law enforcement activity” at a home in Colorado Springs related to Wednesday's explosion but provided no other details.
The explosion of the truck, packed with firework mortars and camp fuel canisters, came hours after 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar rammed a truck into a crowd in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter early on New Year’s Day, killing at least 15 people before being shot to death by police. That crash was being investigated as a terrorist attack. The FBI said Thursday that they believe Jabbar acted alone, reversing its position from a day earlier that he likely worked with others.
Both Livelsberger and Jabbar spent time at the base formerly known as Fort Bragg, a massive Army base in North Carolina that is home to multiple Army special operations units. However, one of the officials who spoke to the AP said there is no overlap in their assignments at the base, now called Fort Liberty.
Chris Raia, FBI deputy assistant director, said Thursday that officials have found ‘no definitive link’ between the New Orleans attack and the truck explosion in Las Vegas.
Seven people nearby suffered minor injuries when the Tesla truck exploded. Video showed a tumble of charred fireworks mortars, canisters and other explosive devices crowded into the back of the pickup. The truck bed walls were still intact because the blast shot straight up rather than to the sides.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Wednesday afternoon on X that “we have now confirmed that the explosion was caused by very large fireworks and/or a bomb carried in the bed of the rented Cybertruck and is unrelated to the vehicle itself."
"All vehicle telemetry was positive at the time of the explosion,” Musk wrote.
Musk has recently become a member of Trump’s inner circle. Neither Trump nor Musk was in Las Vegas early Wednesday. Both had attended Trump’s New Year’s Eve party at his South Florida estate.
Authorities know who rented the truck with the Turo app in Colorado, Kevin McMahill, the elected sheriff of Clark County, which includes Las Vegas, said Wednesday. He did not release the person’s ID, however.
Copp, Richer and Long contributed from Washington.
Investigators enter a townhouse in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)
Investigators stand outside a townhouse complex in northeastern Colorado Springs, Colo., Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, as the investigation connected to the explosion of a Tesla Cybertruck outside President-elect Donald Trump's Las Vegas hotel continues. (Christian Murdock/The Gazette via AP)
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
Police block the area after a vehicle caught fire and exploded outside the lobby of President-elect Donald Trump's hotel Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)
