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Emily Borgwardt: The 5 Shocking Facts About The Wife Of The Man Who Faked His Own Death

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The disappearance of Ryan Borgwardt in August 2024, initially reported as a tragic kayaking accident on Green Lake, Wisconsin, quickly spiraled into one of the most bizarre and widely reported family abandonment cases of the decade. The person most affected by this shocking deception was his wife, Emily Borgwardt, who went from mourning a presumed drowning victim to filing for divorce against a man who had fled the country to start a new life with an online lover. This article, updated in late December 2025, details the life and dramatic experience of the woman at the center of this scandal.

The story of Ryan and Emily Borgwardt’s 22-year marriage ended abruptly with a staged death and a subsequent criminal investigation. Emily Borgwardt’s resilience and her legal actions to secure her family's future have placed her in the public eye, highlighting the devastating personal fallout of her husband’s calculated deception.

Ryan Borgwardt: A Brief Biography of the Deceiver

Ryan A. Borgwardt is an American man from Watertown, Wisconsin, who gained international notoriety in 2024 for faking his own death. The details of his life and the events leading up to his disappearance provide the essential context for understanding the impact on his wife, Emily.

  • Full Name: Ryan A. Borgwardt
  • Age: 44 or 45 years old (at the time of the incident)
  • Hometown: Watertown, Wisconsin
  • Occupation: Woodworker
  • Marital Status: Separated/Divorced from Emily Borgwardt (Married for 22 years)
  • Children: Father of three teenage children
  • Incident Date: August 2024 (Staged kayaking accident)
  • Location of Staged Death: Green Lake, Wisconsin
  • Reason for Faking Death: To abandon his family and start a new life with a woman he met online, allegedly fleeing to Eastern Europe (Uzbekistan or Georgia)
  • Legal Outcome: Sentenced to 89 days in jail after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor obstruction charge

The Shocking Discovery and Emily Borgwardt's Immediate Response

The saga began when Ryan Borgwardt told his wife, Emily, he was going kayaking on Green Lake to watch the northern lights. When he failed to return, a massive search and rescue operation was launched, involving divers and local authorities, with the family bracing for the worst: a tragic drowning. Emily Borgwardt was left to grieve a presumed dead husband, a father to her three teenage children.

The facade crumbled on August 12, 2024, when Ryan was confirmed to be alive and taken into custody. It was revealed that he had staged the disappearance to flee the country and be with an "online lover". Court documents later revealed the final, desperate text messages Emily sent her husband, asking "Where are you????" and "Babe?" as her world collapsed.

Emily Borgwardt’s response was swift and decisive. Just days after her husband’s reappearance and arrest, she filed a petition in Dodge County Circuit Court seeking a legal separation, which served as the initial step toward divorce.

The Legal Battle: Divorce, Custody, and an 'Irretrievably Broken' Marriage

The legal documents filed by Emily Borgwardt provided a clear and poignant statement about the state of their 22-year union. The petition for legal separation, filed by her attorney Andrew Griggs, plainly stated that the marriage was "irretrievably broken". This single, powerful phrase summarized the irreparable damage caused by Ryan’s betrayal and calculated abandonment.

The primary concern for Emily was the welfare of their children. The court records confirmed that she was seeking sole custody of their three teenage children. This move was critical to ensure stability and protection for the minors following the severe emotional trauma inflicted by their father’s actions. The legal proceedings shifted from dealing with a death to managing a high-profile divorce, with Emily’s attorney maintaining a "no comment" stance to protect her privacy during the sensitive process.

The entity of Dodge County Circuit Court became the venue for the formal dissolution of the Borgwardt family unit, marking the official end of their two decades of marriage.

The Emotional Toll and Topical Authority Entities

The Ryan Borgwardt case became a national headline, not just for the absurdity of the "faked death" but for the profound emotional and financial hardship it placed on his wife and children. The story touches on several key entities and themes that give it topical authority:

  • Marital Betrayal: The core of the story is the ultimate act of betrayal, where a husband chose to stage his death rather than simply seek a divorce.
  • Online Lover/Affair: The motivation to flee to Eastern Europe to be with a woman he met online is a modern element of infidelity that captured widespread media attention.
  • Misdemeanor Obstruction: Ryan Borgwardt’s criminal charge and subsequent 89-day jail sentence provided a legal resolution to the crisis, though many argued the punishment was too light given the emotional and resource cost of the search and rescue efforts.
  • Watertown, Wisconsin: The small-town setting provided a stark backdrop to the international plot of fleeing to Uzbekistan or Georgia, highlighting the contrast between his quiet life as a woodworker and his elaborate scheme.

Emily Borgwardt's experience is a testament to the strength required to navigate a crisis that began with grief and ended with a painful realization of a long-term lie. Her focus remains on her children and rebuilding their lives after the very public collapse of her marriage.

Where is Emily Borgwardt Now?

As of late 2025, Emily Borgwardt has largely retreated from the public eye, focusing on her family and the finalization of the divorce proceedings. Her decision to file for legal separation immediately after Ryan's reappearance demonstrated a clear intention to move forward and protect her children from further emotional damage.

While Ryan Borgwardt served his sentence for the misdemeanor obstruction charge, Emily secured her future and the future of her three teenage children by pursuing sole custody and dissolving the marriage. Her story is a powerful narrative of survival and resilience in the face of a shocking and calculated deception, moving from the tragic figure of a grieving widow to a determined mother securing a new life for her family in Wisconsin.

Emily Borgwardt: The 5 Shocking Facts About The Wife of The Man Who Faked His Own Death
ryan borgwardt wife
ryan borgwardt wife

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