The mistress of the Wisconsin kayaker who faked his own death and fled to Georgia to start afresh without his wife can be unmasked for the first time.
Ryan Borgwardt, 45, was jailed for 89 days last month, after plotting the elaborate stunt to be with his mistress in Eastern Europe.
He spent four months in the former Soviet country before returning to America where he was charged with obstruction related to the $30,000 manhunt launched following his disappearance on August 11, 2024.
Police learned in October that the father-of-three had crossed the border into Canada a few days after staging a kayaking accident and had been communicating with a Russian-born woman.
Exclusive photographs obtained by the Daily Mail show the mother-of-two, known only as Katya, alongside her two children.
Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office had sent her the photo along with one of Ryan, and a sheriff’s badge, asking for her help in locating him.
In her initial email translated by Daily Mail, Katya told officers that Borgwardt was ‘just a friend’ who had been helping her with problems, before asking why they contacted her.
After weeks of communication, she eventually put them in touch with Borgwardt, telling cops: ‘I will talk to Ryan so that he comes back sooner… I beg you, please help him so that he does not have many problems with the law and so that they try to keep his passport.
The mistress of Ryan Borgwardt, 45, who faked his own death in Wisconsin to reunite with her in Eastern Europe, is a woman named Katya, a Russian mother-of-two (Pictured with her two children)
Borgwardt, 45, was jailed for 89 days last month after faking his death to leave behind his wife Emily and three children before fleeing the country and spending four months hiding out with Katya in the former Soviet republic of Georgia
Police learned in October the father-of-three had crossed the border into Canada and was seen in footage chatting to officers during his escape to Eastern Europe
‘Maybe they will be able to listen to your word. He was always honest with you and in touch. No one knows how hard it is for him now… although he tries not to show it,’ she continued.
Borgwardt explained to officers that he met Katya online in 2024, with the mother-of-two initially telling him she was from Ukraine. He said they ‘quickly became close’ and had ‘identical personalities’.
Katya told him a month into the relationship that she was not from Ukraine but from Russia, with Borgwardt forgiving her lie because ‘she felt awful’.
In further emails, Borgwardt constantly quizzed cops about how to get his lover to the US, with his main concern about returning to American soil being if he was going to get jail time.
‘Will the government allow Katya, a Russian, to live here?’ he asked.
‘She and I know we didn’t cross paths in the most ideal situation…. but I refuse to be forced to abandon her.
‘We both are looking forward to starting a life together that hopefully includes some kind of positive relationship with my three children.
‘THE ONLY THING I’M ASKING OF YOU IS TO ALLOW ME TO STILL HAVE A FUTURE WITH KATYA…..
During his conversations with officers while he was out of the country, he asked them multiple times how he could bring her to America, highlighting the problems she could face getting a visa since she’s Russian
One email sent by Borgwardt to the officers claimed that ‘everyone wins’ if they let him stay in Georgia, but clarified that his three children with Emily would be the ones to suffer
‘If this gets taken away from me too, then you might as well just put in me in jail for a long time.’
Borgwardt also told authorities that other than his children, ‘everyone wins’ by him remaining in Georgia, and he was concerned that his kids would see him as ‘the enemy’.
Borgwardt was hit with obstruction charges over the $30,000 manhunt sparked by his disappearance on August 11, 2024
The new documents also reveal that he was considering a book or media deal about his plot in a bid to write off his debts in the US, with Chief Deputy Matthew Vande Kolk telling him ‘good or bad you are famous’.
One email between the father-of-three, from Watertown, Wisconsin, states that he will take on ‘all the debts’ from his divorce from wife Emily, adding: ‘She shouldn’t have to deal with my mistakes. It wasn’t her fault.’
Emily, 44, filed for a legal separation, the day after the father-of-three landed back on US soil in December last year.
Court records seen by the Daily Mail confirm that Emily, who lives in Watertown, Wisconsin, lodged the documents in Dodge County almost immediately after his return.
‘The marriage is irretrievably broken,’ Emily said in her petition. Documents filed in Dodge County Circuit Court state Borgwardt’s wife wants full custody of their three teenaged children.
A treasure trove of new evidence, released to the Daily Mail by Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office show a calm Borgwardt chatting with officers as he flew out of Canada on August 12 last year.
Wife Emily, 44, filed for a legal separation, the day after he landed back on US soil in December last year, saying in documents that the marriage was ‘irretrievably broken’
He even pleaded in emails that he didn’t want to face jailtime but emphasized his respect for law enforcement
In texts with law enforcement Borgwardt whined about them not understanding Katya’s last five years of life and lamented about having to leave her
The father-of-three handed himself in to local authorities in December after four months of correspondence with Chief Deputy Matthew Vande Kolk.
New emails released by the cops show him concerned about when he would be reunited with his mistress and his money troubles.
The cabinet maker lashed out at Chief Deputy Vande Kolk after he initially made contact, branding initial reports about his disappearance as ‘half true’.
‘I was actually very angry when I saw the first news story’, Borgwardt wrote. ‘The whole story is not in the best interest of my kids, Emily and the rest of my family. Is it really that difficult to report the truth?
‘Was it your department or is the news just really that terrible at what they do? The news story makes it sound like I’m living ‘large’ over here.
‘That couldn’t be further from the truth. I truly tried to take as little as possible with me to LEAVE MY FAMILY WITH AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.’
He went on to whine that officers wasted time trying to verify that he wasn’t a ‘victim from an Eastern European money scheme’.
He added: ‘If we never made contact and about one week later you learned that my body was laying somewhere in Eastern Europe and that any money I had was stolen.. then what would you have done?
Borgwardt emphasized in the emails that his ‘sin was increasing by abandoning Katya’ and how much she would struggle with the cost of living without him, before questioning why Russia had to be an ‘enemy country’
Calm and collected, Borgwardt chatted with officers while flashing his bogus passport, then carried on with his scheme
‘Would you try to correct the news? Or now that all of Wisconsin thinks I’m a 200% dirt bag, would you just let the story sit out there?
‘Why wouldn’t you have waited to do any press conference and news story before you actually tried to confirm a few more details. Like the major one, did Ryan end up being a victim here too?’
He also claimed that he took out a new life insurance claim months before meeting his mistress because he was ‘falling asleep while driving’ in late 2023 – so became fearful that he would die.
In one self-pitying email, the father whined: ‘I realize I created this mess and now everyone is trying to put the pieces together.
‘I am really sorry about that. It would have just been much easier if no one looked for me.
‘I truthfully don’t want to go to trial. I’d rather settle. It’s in everyone’s best interest I think. I really just DONT want to end up in jail. That’s my only goal.’
Borgwardt complained that his wife had thrown out his clothes, so he would need to spend more money than planned to replace his things upon his return.
He also spoke to Chief Deputy Vande Kolk about his Christianity and the best place for tool deals in December during the bizarre exchange.
Officials say he deliberately capsized his kayak (pictured), tossing his phone and belongings into the water before slipping away on an inflatable boat — then pedaled more than 50 miles to Madison overnight on an e-bike
For 54 days, police scoured the lake for the missing kayaker, only to announce on November 8 that he was alive – and had staged his own death
New footage released shows the moment he fled Canada to France, before travelling to Tbilisi to be with his lover.
Borgwardt looks calm as he chatted to officers using his illegally obtained passport, before continuing on his elaborate scheme.
Authorities spent 54 days looking for the Wisconsin man before announcing on November 8 that they didn’t believe he had drowned in the lake, but rather had faked his own death.
Police did not release details of where he was staying or who he was with while he was missing. They confirmed that Borgwardt flew back into an international airport in the US of his own volition.
Officials revealed that he deliberately flipped his kayak and dumped his phone and belongings in the water before paddling to safety on an inflatable boat and e-biking more than 50 miles to Madison overnight.
Borgwardt had been talking to Katya before he obtained a new passport and a $375,000 life insurance policy in January.
Police managed to establish contact and in November, Borgwardt – who had not contacted his family since his disappearance – sent a video in which he showed off his apartment, telling officers: ‘I am safe, secure, no problems.’
But the same could not be said for his heartbroken family, who were being supported by the Sheriff’s Office.
Borgwardt left his original passport at home when he vanished, and police said he tried to cover his tracks by removing his laptop hard drive and wiping his search history clean.
Before his disappearance, he also changed all the email addresses linked to his bank accounts and moved money to a foreign bank account.
Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said he ‘could not be more proud’ of his officers in helping bring Borgwardt to justice.
