The woman who prosecutors say was the focus of a Wisconsin man’s elaborate scheme to fake his own death has been identified in newly released messages as a Russian mother-of-two known as Katya.
Court and law-enforcement records and a trove of emails and texts released by the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office show the relationship between 45-year-old Ryan Borgwardt and the woman he met online, outline his travels after vanishing Aug. 11, 2024, and track his communications with investigators while he was abroad. Borgwardt was later charged with obstruction in connection with a roughly $30,000 search effort and spent time in custody after returning to the United States.
Records show Borgwardt deliberately capsized his kayak, discarded his phone and personal effects, and slipped away from Green Lake, Wisconsin, according to investigators. Video and other material obtained by authorities indicate he crossed into Canada the day after his staged accident and then traveled overseas, eventually arriving in the former Soviet republic of Georgia, where he spent about four months, officials said. Law enforcement said he used an illegally obtained passport during parts of his travel.
Police spent 54 days searching the lake and surrounding area before concluding on Nov. 8 that he likely had not drowned but had staged his disappearance. Investigators later established contact with Borgwardt, who sent a video from abroad showing an apartment and telling officers he was "safe, secure, no problems," according to the released documents. He turned himself in to local authorities after returning to the United States in December.
The messages released to media outlets include correspondence between Borgwardt and Chief Deputy Matthew Vande Kolk of the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office. In some exchanges, Borgwardt pleaded with officers not to press for lengthy jail time and sought guidance about how he might bring Katya to the United States. "Will the government allow Katya, a Russian, to live here?" one of the emails quotes him asking. In other messages, he wrote that "everyone wins" if he remained in Georgia but worried his three children would suffer if he did not return.
Investigators also released several emails from Katya to the sheriff’s office after officials sent her photographs and a badge seeking help locating Borgwardt. In a translation provided to the Daily Mail, she initially described Borgwardt as "just a friend" who had been helping her with problems. After weeks of communication, she put officers in touch with Borgwardt and in one message asked them to help ensure he did not face heavy legal penalties or lose his passport.
The records portray a relationship that began online in 2024. Borgwardt told officers that the woman initially identified herself as being from Ukraine and later admitted she was from Russia; he said he forgave the discrepancy. He also discussed the difficulties she might face obtaining a U.S. visa and repeatedly asked officials how he might bring her to the United States.
Documents and emails released by law enforcement detail steps Borgwardt took in the months before and after his disappearance. Authorities say he had left his original passport at home and attempted to conceal online activity by wiping his search history and removing a laptop hard drive. He also moved funds to a foreign bank account and obtained a new passport. Investigators allege he purchased a $375,000 life insurance policy in January and considered a book or media deal as a way to address debts.
In exchanges with deputies, Borgwardt expressed frustration with media coverage of his disappearance and said the reporting hurt his family. "The whole story is not in the best interest of my kids, Emily and the rest of my family," he wrote, according to the records. He also said he did not want to go to trial, writing that his "only goal" was to avoid jail.
Borgwardt’s return to the United States prompted immediate legal and family consequences. Dodge County court records show his wife, Emily Borgwardt, filed for legal separation the day after his landing and sought full custody of the couple’s three teenage children, saying the marriage was "irretrievably broken." Prosecutors charged him with obstruction for his role in the search that followed his disappearance; he served a period in custody, court filings show.
Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said in a statement released with the materials that investigators were proud of their work in resolving the case. The new evidence also includes footage said to show Borgwardt calmly interacting with officers as he traveled through Canada and Europe and correspondence in which he complained about the difficulty of leaving Katya behind and about the public reaction to his actions.
The released communications put new detail on the personal and logistical elements of the case: the online courtship, the efforts to shield financial and travel records, and the appeals Borgwardt made to law enforcement while he was away. They also reveal how Katya responded to outreach by U.S. authorities, first characterizing Borgwardt as a friend and later arranging contact between him and deputies.
Borgwardt’s attorneys, Katya and others identified in the materials did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Prosecutors have charged him with obstruction related to the manhunt; court proceedings are pending, and the records do not indicate whether additional charges could be filed.
The case has drawn wide attention in Wisconsin and beyond because of its unusual facts and the scale of the search. Law enforcement officials said the manhunt cost about $30,000 and that deputies provided support to Borgwardt’s family while they were uncertain of his fate. The newly released messages add detail to a timeline that began with his disappearance on Aug. 11, 2024, and continued through months of investigation, international travel and legal fallout after his return to the United States.