Episode Overview

Podcast: Crime Stories with Nancy Grace
Episode: WISCONSIN DAD OF 3 FAKES DEATH TO SNUGGLE UP WITH UZBEKISTAN LOVER, SENTENCED
Date: September 20, 2025

In this bombshell episode, Nancy Grace and a panel of experts unravel the bizarre case of Ryan Borgwart, a Wisconsin father of three who staged his own death in a kayaking accident to disappear and reunite with an online lover in Uzbekistan. The episode dives deep into the impact on his family and community, the law enforcement response, legal nuances, and the sparse consequences Borgwart ultimately faced for triggering a massive, costly search.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Case Unfolds: Disappearance on Green Lake

• Ryan Borgwart’s Disappearance: On August 11, 2024, Borgwart embarks on a solo kayaking trip, claiming to be enjoying some outdoor leisure. He sends his wife a text around 10:45 PM:

  "I'm about to head home now." (07:19)

• Search Initiated: Nancy highlights the enormous search effort that followed, prompted by Borgwart’s wife’s panic and swift missing person report. Divers, deputies, and cadaver dogs combed Green Lake, Wisconsin’s deepest inland lake (240 ft deep, 7,340 acres).
  (07:37–09:35, 19:58)

2. The Investigation: Search, Equipment, and Evidence

• Search Details:
  • Sheriff Mark Puddell and underwater recovery expert Keith Cormican detail the complicated, resource-intensive search.

    "We searched the lake more thorough than I've ever covered a lake... I was second-guessing myself for days." – Keith Cormican (13:27)

  • Searchers used state-of-the-art sonar, underwater robots, and multiple cadaver dogs, cycling in shifts due to the lake's size and stress on the animals. (10:49, 21:57)
• Expenses & Damage:
  • Cormican's team alone incurred $10,000 in repairs plus equipment losses. (14:41)
• Found Items:
  • A wallet, keys, and fishing equipment belonging to Borgwart were recovered from the lake, fueling belief he had drowned. (15:20)

3. The Hoax Revealed: Passport Evidence and International Flight

• The Break in the Case:
  • Days into the search, authorities discover Borgwart’s passport was used in Canada, showing he crossed the border soon after his disappearance.

    "His passport was used in Canada... went missing on August 11th." – Alexis Tereschuk (24:14)

  • Nancy and the panel are aghast at the calculated nature of the deception and the pain caused to Borgwart’s wife and children. (25:32)
• Psychological Insight:
  • Dr. John De la Torre analyzes Borgwart’s inability to face difficult conversations, describing him as “more interested in his own desires than his family’s wellbeing.” (25:32, 27:33)

4. The Social Media Twist: Viral Beach Interview

• Unwitting Confession:
  • Content creator Bailey Boomhauer recounts a strange beachside conversation in Pacific Beach, San Diego. The man—later identified as Borgwart—discussed leaving his wife for a new companion abroad.

    "He kind of had his mind made up... like he wanted just to be told: go to Uzbekistan and leave your family." – Bailey Boomhauer (52:21)

  • The conversation unwittingly captured the mindset and intentions of Borgwart, foreshadowing his disappearance. (31:56–34:37)
  • Nancy emphasizes the “indecision” and cold self-interest Borgwart displayed.

    "Indecision is a decision in itself." – Bailey Boomhauer (37:14)

5. Legal and Financial Fallout

• Sentencing:
  • Borgwart pled no contest to obstruction and was sentenced to 89 days—matching the time spent searching for him—plus ordered to pay $30,000 in restitution to rescue agencies. (41:26)

    "He gets just 89 days behind bars... and has to pay 30 grand." – Nancy Grace (41:26)

• Legal Debate:
  • Lawyer Gregory Morse argues faking one’s death is morally awful but not always criminal unless coupled with specific fraud (false reports, insurance fraud).

    "He didn’t do anything illegal as far as I can tell—except maybe the passport thing, and even that’s hard to prove." – Gregory Morse (28:55)

• Potential for Federal Charges:
  • Barry Golden (ex-U.S. Marshal) asserts Borgwart could face federal prosecution for making false statements in passport processes and could, theoretically, be extradited.

    "He may have committed a federal crime by committing a false statement on a government document." – Barry Golden (49:18)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nancy’s Colloquial Take:

  "If you want to be with someone else, don't spend all the money flying to Eastern Europe… just leave, okay? But do not spend the children’s college fund to do it." (01:43)

• Sheriff on the Human Cost:

  "I was there when the sheriff hit the family with the bombshell... It was horrifying news for them." – Keith Cormican (13:27)

• On Manipulation vs. Responsibility:

  "He doesn’t love his wife or his children anymore. He doesn’t care." – Dr. John De la Torre (27:33) "The last thing any woman needs is Mr. Indecisive." – Nancy Grace, echoing Bailey Boomhauer (52:21)

• Comic Relief in Frustration:

  "Ladies, when you run into Mr. Indecision, run for the hills as if you had seen a monster. That’s my advice." – Nancy Grace (37:38)

• On Restitution and Consequences:

  "He lost a beautiful, loving and faithful wife… Well, that’s sentence enough." – Nancy Grace (52:55) "He reversed his vasectomy. Oh. Oh. That was a dirt sandwich." – Nancy Grace (53:23)

Important Timestamps

• Ryan disappears / Kayak found: 04:04 – 07:37
• Search efforts & sonar explained: 10:09 – 14:41
• Discovery of planted evidence: 15:20
• Cadaver dog efforts: 19:58 – 22:44
• Sheriff reveals border crossing: 23:44 – 24:35
• Expert panel on manipulation and legality: 25:32 – 35:16
• Viral beach interview with Bailey: 31:56 – 37:38
• Restitution and sentencing: 41:26
• Insurance fraud and legal analysis: 46:25 – 47:49
• Law enforcement's commitment to prosecution: 49:18 – 51:44

Summary Table: Key Facts

| Event | Details | |-------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Disappearance Date | August 11, 2024 | | Location | Green Lake, Wisconsin | | Search Duration | 23 days | | Agencies Involved | Local sheriff, DNR, volunteers, expert divers, Bruce's Legacy | | Turnaround Evidence | Passport used in Canada, August 13 | | Motive | Online affair with woman in Uzbekistan; financial preparations (new policy, bank accounts) | | Sentencing | 89 days jail, $30,000 restitution | | Panel Highlights | Nancy Grace, Alexis Tereschuk, Keith Cormican, Dr. John De la Torre, Gregory Morse, Barry Golden, Bailey Boomhauer |

Conclusion

This episode of "Crime Stories with Nancy Grace" is an explosive, deeply personal look at the staggering selfishness of Ryan Borgwart—his web of lies, the emotional and financial devastation visited on his wife, children, and community, and the legal limbo that allows him to escape with a featherweight sentence. The story is made even more haunting through Bailey Boomhauer’s accidental, now pivotal, viral encounter—cementing the impression that for some, irresponsibility and indecision can be as destructive as crime.

Recommended Listening Points:

• (07:19–09:35) – The timeline and panic as Borgwart “disappears”
• (13:27) – Emotional toll of the search on responders
• (24:14) – Discovery of Borgwart’s border crossing
• (31:56–34:37) – The chilling viral interview
• (41:26) – Sentencing and restitution debate
• (49:18–51:44) – Legal ramifications and extradition debate