Wisconsin kayaker turned himself in after officials say he faked his death and fled to Eastern Europe

The long, expansive search for Borgwardt was a costly and emotionally taxing endeavor for both his family and search crews, Podoll said.

(CNN) — A Wisconsin man who officials say faked his own death and fled to Eastern Europe, leaving his wife and three children, turned himself in on Tuesday, according to the Green Lake County Sheriff, who remained tight-lipped on why the man left and where exactly he’s been for the past four months.

Ryan Borgwardt flew back to the United States willingly, arriving Tuesday, Sheriff Mark Podoll said Wednesday. Borgwardt is being held in the Green Lake County Jail, online jail records show, and he could make an initial appearance as early as today.

Podoll declined to share details of Borgwardt’s time away or whether he has been in touch with his family, but said his office referred charges including obstruction, to the Green Lake County District Attorney’s Office.

District Attorney Gerise LaSpisa declined CNN’s request for comment.

Borgwardt, 45, was reported missing on August 12 after failing to return from a fishing trip on Green Lake, about an hour north of his home in Watertown, Wisconsin.

For seven weeks, the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office searched for Borgwardt’s body with the help of trained volunteers but found only the man’s kayak and a tackle box containing a set of keys, a wallet and his license. Eventually, officials uncovered evidence that Borgwardt had fled to Europe by way of Canada.

Investigators made contact with the father of three on November 11, when they say they learned that he executed a plan to fake his own death for a “number of reasons” unknown to the public.

Authorities communicated with Borgwardt almost daily, Podoll said during a news conference in late November, adding that Borgwardt appeared to be safe but had still not spoken to his family.

“Great news: We know that he’s alive and well,” Podoll said. “The bad news is, we do not know where, exactly, Ryan is, and he has not yet decided to return home.”

On the day he disappeared, Borgwardt traveled to Green Lake – one of Wisconsin’s deepest inland lakes – with a plan to fake his own drowning, according to Podoll, who detailed the man’s scheme.

The experienced kayaker paddled out onto the water where he deliberately overturned the vessel, tossed his phone and returned to shore in a child-sized inflatable boat, Podoll said.

Borgwardt then rode an e-bike through the night about 80 miles to Madison, Wisconsin, where he then boarded a bus to Detroit, Michigan, eventually crossing the Canadian border and flying to Europe, Podoll said.

Before his disappearance, Borgwardt had transferred funds to a foreign bank account, changed his email and communicated with a woman in Uzbekistan, according to Podoll.

Investigators were ultimately able to contact Borgwardt through a Russian-speaking woman, Podoll said, though he declined to say whether she was the woman he had been communicating with in Uzbekistan and whether he was with her.

In January, Borgwardt took out a $375,000 life insurance policy, which Podoll said was intended to help his family.

“In our communications, we are expressing the importance of his decision to return home and clean up the mess that he has created,” Podoll said. Borgwardt has expressed regret for how he has hurt his family and “also feels bad about the amount of hours that we have put in the community,” the sheriff said.

The long, expansive search for Borgwardt was a costly and emotionally taxing endeavor for both his family and search crews, Podoll said.

Borgwardt’s family has experienced emotional whiplash after mourning him for weeks and then coming to terms with his purported abandonment, the sheriff said on “CNN News Central” last month.

Borgwardt previously told investigators that he thought they would stop searching for him after about two weeks, officials said.

“He picked the wrong sheriff and the wrong department,” Podoll said.

CNN’s Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.

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