GREEN LAKE (NBC 26) — The Green Lake community is reacting to the shocking twist in the case for a missing kayaker.
Law enforcement now says they believe 44-year-old Ryan Borgwardt of Watertown may still be alive, and may have left the country without notifying his wife and children.
People in Green Lake County say they've been invested in this case since Borgwardt was first reported missing in August.
"There's hardly ever any crime or anything, and just out of nowhere, someone does something as bizarre as fleeing here," said local Nathan Ilocaie.
Borgwardt was first reported missing Aug. 12 after not returning from a kayaking trip.
His kayak and other belongings were found early in the search, but his body was never discovered.
The case caught the attention of the Green Lake community.
"I thought it was really crazy, like in the summer when I heard about it, because it made me like not want to go on the lake," said local Jadyn Waters.
The Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office said it searched Borgwardt’s laptop and found photos of passports, inquiries about moving funds to international banks, and communication with a woman from Uzbekistan.
Law enforcement said they found Borgwardt took out a $375,000 life insurance policy in January and had purchased an airline gift card.
They also said his passport was checked by Canadian authorities in August, after he had gone missing.
Neighbors said the news came as a surprise.
"When I first found out, it was kind of a big shock," said local Jorge Gutierrez. "My thought was, you know, he's probably still out there somewhere, and it was kind of far-fetched, and now that it actually might be something that's possible, just feel really bad for the family."
In a press conference Friday, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll thanked the community for their support during the search.
"Our community supported us, 110%," Sheriff Podoll said. "A lot of thank-yous, and thank-yous mean a lot. We had a lot of people that would drop off food for us."
The Sheriff’s Office said they plan to pursue restitution for taxpayer-funded searches.
But now, the community says their hearts are with Borgwardt’s family.
"How do you do restitution for the family, you know, the emotional trauma that they had to go through," Gutierrez said.
Sheriff Podoll is asking anyone with information on this case to contact the sheriff’s office or Crimestoppers.
