A troubling series of text messages between three fathers in Wisconsin shows the distress of a 22-year-old woman, Emily, whose husband disappeared during a kayaking trip. The messages reveal her frantic plea after his sudden vanishing in the middle of the night.
On August 11, 2024, Ryan Borgward texted Emily to say he had “sneaked” a look at their home, expressing love for her while putting plans in motion to leave his family.
Emily, who had been with Borgward for 22 years, mentioned how many nights she spent worrying about him, criticizing him for not communicating his plans. “I’ve been waiting so long, I should be used to this by now. I don’t even know where you’re when you’re late,” she messaged.
In response, Borgward said he was busy “working with communication” and sent her descriptions of Aurora. His last message to her at 10:49 PM ended with, “I love you… Good night… I’ll be back to the shore soon.”
Emily replied with her own affection, urging him to be safe before going to bed. However, when she woke the next day and he hadn’t come home, panic set in, and she sent multiple texts looking for him. “Where are you????” and “Baby?” were among her desperate pleas sent early on August 12.
Later that day, she reported him missing following his kayaking trip at Green Lake, roughly 100 miles northwest of Milwaukee.
Authorities discovered a capsized kayak linked to him and began to investigate further, raising suspicions about foul play. Eight weeks later, after an extensive, costly search, it turned out that he was alive and had been chatting with a woman from Uzbekistan online, planning to fake his death to be with her.
Canadian officials had flagged his name soon after his disappearance was reported. Investigators found that he had opened a new bank account, moved money overseas, wiped his computer, and collected $375,000 in life insurance just months earlier.
After staging his own death, Borgward traveled 70 miles on an electric bike to Madison, then took a bus from Detroit to Canada, eventually flying from Toronto to Paris and then to Georgia.
Ultimately, he was apprehended in November 2024 and persuaded to return to the U.S. the following month, facing charges for obstructing the search for his body.
Borgward later admitted that his choice to start anew stemmed from feelings of failure in various areas of his life. “I want to be remembered for the better, not all the mistakes,” he confessed during his interrogation. His feelings of disconnection from his family were evident as he expressed how he struggled to share his feelings with Emily.
Following his return, Emily filed for divorce just four months later, stating the marriage was “irreparably broken.” Last month, Borgward received an 89-day county jail sentence for obstructing an officer and was ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution.
He expressed deep regret for his actions and the pain caused to his loved ones.
