Ryan's 'final' text to his wife seemed so ordinary. Then police received the video from Europe.

On an unassuming August day in 2024, Ryan Borgwardt grabbed his fishing gear and drove out to Green Lake, Wisconsin.

Before he left, he sent a text to his then-wife, Emily, saying he "may have snuck out on a lake" to watch the northern lights. She responded, "That would have been nice to know. I was beginning to wonder why you weren't home."

She added: "I should be used to it by now. So many nights I have no idea where you are when it's late."

Borgwardt said he loved his wife. That he would be "heading back to shore soon."

That was the final exchange between the married couple, according to documents filed by the Green Lake County Sheriff's Office and shared with the Associated Press this week, PEOPLE reports.

The 45-year-old never returned to his wife and kids. Never answered his wife's frantic messages.

Borgwardt with his wife of 22 years. Image: Facebook.

When authorities arrived at the lake, they found Borgwardt's wallet, keys, licence and fishing gear with his abandoned car. But the most ominous image lay on the lake: his kayak had capsized.

Police jumped into action and conducted an extensive search of the lake and its surroundings. Days turned to weeks, then weeks turned into months. But a body was never found.

His family grieved.

Then, in November, police dropped a bombshell: they believed Borgwardt was actually alive.

It emerged that authorities had received a call from an unidentified Russian-speaking woman who had connected Borgwardt with authorities.

When police gained contact with the 45-year-old, he sent them a video proving he was alive.

"I'm in my apartment. I am safe, secure, no problem," he said in the footage.

The father-of-three went on to tell authorities what actually happened on that August day.

After taking out a life insurance policy, transferring funds to a foreign bank account, applying for a replacement passport, and reversing his vasectomy, Borgwardt drove out to Green Lake with a plan to meet a woman from Uzbekistan whom he had met online.

Once on the lake, he overturned the kayak and used an inflatable raft to paddle back to shore. There, he hopped on a bike and rode to the bus stop. Borgwardt then caught a ride to Canada before getting on a plane to Georgia in Eastern Europe.

When he announced that Borgwardt had been found alive, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said the 45-year-old had "picked the wrong sheriff".

Podoll then explained that police had run Borgwardt's passport the day after he went missing and looked into his financial activity.

"We found out that he moved funds to a foreign bank, changing [of] his email, and communication with a woman in Uzbekistan," he said.

"He took out a USD$375,000 [about AUD$580,500] life insurance policy in January, and he purchased airline [gift] cards."

Borgwardt returned to the United States in December, where he was charged. His wife of 22 years divorced him.

Watch: What Borgwardt said as he appeared before court. Post continues after video.

Before he was sentenced, he told the court: "I deeply regret the actions I did that night and all the pain I caused my family, friends."

Borgwardt's lawyer, Erik Johnson, argued that his client could have remained in Georgia, as the misdemeanour charge would not have qualified him for extradition.

"If he didn't want to come back; he didn't need to come back," said Johnson, according to NBC News.

"He came back from Europe to take responsibility for his actions."

Meanwhile, District Attorney Gerise LaSpisa saif that Borgwardt's "entire plan to fake his death, to devastate his family in order to serve his own selfish desires hinged on him dying in the lake and selling his death to the world".

Green Lake County Circuit Judge Mark Slate sentenced Borgwardt to 89 days in prison for obstruction — the same number of days authorities spent searching for him.

Borgwardt was sentenced to 89 days in prison for obstruction. Image: AP via AAP.

While the prosecution only requested Borgwardt spend 45 days in prison, Judge Slate said he doubled it to serve as a deterrent to others who may consider faking their death, and obstructing law enforcement.

Borgwardt was also ordered to pay USD$30,000 (AUD$46,000) in restitution to cover the costs of trying to locate him.

"Now the defendant has said he didn't think law enforcement would search for him as long as they did but the point is, the defendant's actions, faking his death, required the sheriff's department to expend resources to search for him that obstructed law enforcement," Judge Slate said.

"The longer you are complicit instead of coming forward and admitting your mistake, the longer the penalty should be."

Feature Image: Facebook