The wife of a Wisconsin man who allegedly faked his own death and fled to Europe has filed for divorce, according to online court records. Emily Borgwardt filed the petition in Dodge County Circuit Court, describing the 22-year marriage as 'irretrievably broken' and seeking sole custody of their three children.
Ryan Borgwardt, 48, disappeared in mid-August after pretending to drown in Green Lake, Wisconsin's deepest lake. He overturned his kayak, discarded his phone, and paddled to an inflatable boat before travelling to Madison, then by bus to Detroit and Toronto, and finally by flight to Paris and on to Georgia, where he resided.
Police investigation revealed that Borgwardt had replaced his laptop's hard drive, cleared browsing history, and taken out a $375,000 life insurance policy in January. He also communicated with a woman from Uzbekistan and made inquiries about transferring funds to foreign banks.
Borgwardt returned to the US in November and was charged with misdemeanour obstruction of the search for his body, which cost at least $35,000 and involved multiple dives over 50 days. He is being held on a $1m cash bond.
