Rhianna Benson
An American father-of-three who faked his own death before fleeing to Europe has been jailed.
Ryan Borgwardt, a Wisconsin local took a kayak out on Green Lake, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Milwaukee, in August of last year, after which his wife reported him missing.
Police subsequently investigated his possible drowning, and after a 58-day search for the 45-year-old's body, the investigation was widened.
Later, clues emerged, hinting that Borgwardt had actually feigned the entire fiasco, as per The Independent.
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Not only had he obtained a new passport just three months prior to his disappearance, but detectives found that he'd also spent a significant amount of time communicating online with a woman from Uzbekistan.
His wife also told police he'd taken out a life insurance policy, and had his vasectomy reversed.
In actuality, on the night he seemingly vanished, Borgwardt overturned his kayak while out on the lake before paddling back to shore on an inflatable life raft and tossing his ID cards into the water.
He then rode an electric bike to Madison, caught a bus to Toronto, and flying to Paris for a connecting flight to 'a country in Asia', according to the report.
By November, Borgwardt had been tracked down, with police finding he'd fled to the European country of Georgia, where he'd planned to set up a new life with his mystery woman.
In the weeks that followed, he was ultimately recalled to the States, turning himself into the authorities in December.
As well as being charged with obstructing the search for his body, Borgwardt was also dealt divorce papers from his wife of 22 years.
Borgwardt confessed to the woman picking him in Georgia, where they spent several days in a hotel, before moving into a house together.
He also admitted to researching how to disappear by studying lake deaths, as well as how deep a body would have to sink so as not to resurface.
Appearing in court yesterday (26 Aug), he was convicted of obstructing an officer, which is considered a misdemeanour.
Green Lake County District Attorney, Gerise LaSpisa told attendees: "His entire plan to fake his death to devastate his family in order to serve his own selfish desires hinged on him dying in the lake and selling his death to the world.
"The defendant did not count on the determination and dedication of our law enforcement."
Eventually, Borgwardt sentenced to 89 days behind bars.
The amount of days equates to the length of time he misled law enforcement agents, and was twice as long as the recommended sentence.
After making his ruling, Green Lake County Circuit Judge, Mark Slate said Borgwardt's sentence should serve as a deterrent to anyone considering faking their own death for any reason.
In response, the criminal pleaded no contest to the charge, and agreed to pay $30,000 in law enforcement restitution fees.
Speaking in court, Bordwardt claimed: "I deeply regret the actions I did that night and all the pain I caused my family [and] friends."