Ryan Borgwardt, the husband and father of three who authorities said faked his own death at a Wisconsin lake and fled the country, is speaking to police but isn’t revealing where he is, the local sheriff said.
In recent weeks, as authorities worked to track Borgwardt down, they made contact with a woman who speaks Russian, Green Lake County Sheriff Mark Podoll said at a news conference Thursday.
“On Nov. 11, we got in contact with Ryan through her. That was a big turning point,” he said.
When authorities reached Borgwardt, they asked him questions only he would know and asked him to film a video of himself, Podoll said.
In the selfie-style video, which was played at the news conference, Borgwardt appears to be in an apartment. He said the date was Nov. 11 and he was safe.
Authorities believe he in Eastern Europe, Podoll said, adding that he doesn’t appear to be in danger.
“We do not know where Ryan exactly is,” the sheriff said. “He has not yet decided to return home.”
“We’ve had nearly daily communications with Ryan,” the sheriff said.
Borgwardt has not spoken to his wife or children, Podoll said.
The mysterious case began on the night of Aug. 11, when Borgwardt last texted his wife. He told her he was turning his kayak around on Green Lake and was heading to shore soon, Podoll said.
The 45-year-old was reported missing the next day.
After Borgwardt’s overturned kayak and life jacket were discovered in the lake, responders believed the missing dad drowned, officials said.
Crews scoured the lake for weeks using divers, drones, sonar and cadaver K-9s, officials said.
The case took a turn in October when investigators discovered Borgwardt’s name had been checked by law enforcement in Canada on Aug. 13, the sheriff said.
Authorities also learned Borgwardt had been communicating with a woman from Uzbekistan, the sheriff said.
Other behavior included clearing his browsers the day he disappeared, inquiries about moving funds to foreign banks, getting a new life insurance policy, obtaining a new passport and replacing his laptop hard drive, the sheriff said.
Podoll said Borgwardt revealed to authorities how he faked his death at the lake and fled the country.
“He stashed an e-bike near the boat launch. He paddled his kayak in a child-sized floating boat out into the lake. He overturned the kayak and dumped his phone in the lake,” the sheriff said. “He paddled the inflatable boat to shore and got on his e-bike and rode through the night to Madison, [Wisconsin]. In Madison, he boarded a bus and went to Detroit, and then the Canadian border. He continued on the bus to an airport and got on a plane.”
“We are continuing to verify this information,” the sheriff added.
One of the reasons Borgwardt picked Green Lake is because it’s one of the deepest lakes in the state, Podoll said.
Borgwardt told authorities he didn’t think responders would spend more than two weeks searching for him, the sheriff said.
“He feels bad about the amount of hours we’ve put in,” Podoll noted.
The family wants Borgwardt home, and Podoll said he wants Borgwardt back to “clean up the mess that he has created.”
The sheriff said authorities will keep “pulling at his heartstrings.”
“He needs to come home to his kids,” Podoll said.
The sheriff, appearing emotional, ended the news conference by saying, “Christmas is coming, and what better gift he could give his kids is to be there for Christmas with them?”
Borgwardt could potentially face an obstruction charge, the sheriff said.
The county is seeking around $35,000 to $40,000 for restitution, the sheriff said.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A Harris County Precinct 5 deputy constable and her daughter were killed in a fiery crash on I-10 Katy Freeway early Friday morning, Houston police said.
Constable Ted Heap identified the deputy constable as 46-year-old Katherine Hutson. Her daughter, believed to be between 8 to 10 years old, was named Kacey.
All westbound lanes of the freeway at the IH-610 West Loop were shut down for eight hours. The road reopened at about 11 a.m.
The three-vehicle crash happened at 3:07 a.m. Police said a Mazda crashed into Hutson’s car and a utility truck that was parked on the shoulder. All three vehicles instantly burst into flames.
Houston TranStar cameras showed large flames at one point as emergency crews responded.
HPD said a worker who was standing outside of the utility truck was taken to the hospital in stable condition with burns. A female passenger in the Mazda was also taken to the hospital.
Investigators said the driver of the Mazda was not hurt and stayed at the scene to cooperate with investigators. Police will run toxicology and DWI tests to determine if impairment was a factor in the deadly crash.
According to Heap, Hutson was an 18-year veteran of the agency.
She was working an extra job, providing a police presence for road improvements, Pct. 5 said.
The Houston Police Department is investigating the crash.
The Texas Board of Education approved a new K-5 curriculum that allows Bible teachings in classrooms.
The instructional materials, called Bluebonnet Learning, are developed by the state, according to the Texas Education Agency. The lessons would be optional, but districts can receive at least $40 per student for using state-approved materials, according to local legislation.
Some supporters of instituting religion in the curriculum say that these religious texts are important for the historical context of U.S. history and can instill moral values in the classroom. While some critics said, this violates the First Amendment right to freedom of religion for students and teachers, forcing classrooms to engage in Christian instruction.
The Holy Bible is pictured in this stock image.STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has spoken out in support of the Texas Education Agency’s curriculum after singing legislation directing the Texas Education Agency to purchase and develop instructional materials.
“The materials will also allow our students to better understand the connection of history, art, community, literature, and religion on pivotal events like the signing of the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Movement, and the American Revolution,” Abbott said in a May statement. “I thank the TEA for their work to ensure our students receive a robust educational foundation to succeed so that we can build a brighter Texas for generations to come.”
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, an advocacy organization centering on the separation of state and church, has criticized the curriculum, claiming leaders are determined to “turn the state’s public schools into Christian training grounds.”
“The curriculum targets the youngest, most impressionable elementary students, starting by introducing kindergartners to Jesus,” FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor said in an online statement ahead of the vote. “Religious instruction is the purview of parents, not proselytizing school boards. This is a shameful ruse by Christian nationalists in Texas who see the schools as a mission field.”
States like Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and others have been behind the push to enforce Christian-based school requirements, including the implementation of Bibles, the Ten Commandments and other religious doctrines in schools.
The judge overseeing the case against Sean “Diddy” Combs has ordered federal prosecutors to destroy several pages of Combs’ handwritten notes, which they obtained from a raid carried out at MDC-Brooklyn, where Combs is being held without bail.
“The government should not be in possession of the 19 pages,” Judge Arun Subramanian said at the end of an hour-long hearing on Tuesday.https://amp.cntxcdm.com/amp-embed/index.html?playerId=ps_94a77ea9-06c2-4b60-a975-daa5b45dbe79&url=https%3A%2F%2Fabcnews.go.com%2Famp%2FUS%2Fjudge-rules-prosecutors-destroy-sean-diddy-combs-jail%2Fstory%3Fid%3D116027283&isSafariOrIos=true
Subramanian made the ruling during a hearing Tuesday, where Combs flashed a big smile as he sauntered in, the first time he appeared without shackles around his ankles.
The defense had sought to have Combs unshackled during his court appearances, and the judge agreed to it.
Combs appeared pleased to walk in so freely, smiling at people in the audience and hugging each of his lawyers.https://89232bc92192e58dd19aead7d5963d5e.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html?n=0
Sean “Diddy” Combs arrives at the Billboard Music Awards, May 15, 2022, in Las Vegas.Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
During the hearing, defense attorney Marc Agnifilo held a stack of notepads, folders and papers that were initially seized from Combs’ bunk and pointed out that Combs “has handwritten the word ‘legal'” on them.
Agnifilo argued that every page from the stack is subject to the attorney-client privilege.
“Virtually every single thing in these legal pads are matters he discusses with his attorneys,” Agnifilo said. “This has been a complete institutional failure.”
A member of the prosecution team disagreed.
“Self-labeling something ‘legal’ does not automatically make it subject to the attorney-client privilege,” the prosecutor, Christy Slavik, said. “The government received these materials through a completely appropriate channel.”
Prosecutors cited Combs’ notes in their argument against granting Combs bail, saying they left a “strong inference” that Combs had paid off a potential witness. The judge said he would no longer consider the example when he decides whether to release Combs on bail during a hearing on Friday.
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — There was a lot of anger outside Lantrip Elementary School on Wednesday morning as parents protested the sudden removal of its principal.
Not only do they want her back, but they also want Houston Independent School District’s reasoning for the decision and its plan for the future.
The parents who spoke with ABC13 said they were shocked that Valiza Castro, who was hired in June, was placed on administrative leave.
So, what changed in less than six months?
HISD didn’t elaborate on the decision other than saying it was in the best interest of students, teachers, and staff.
Protesting parents said they’re fed up with a lack of transparency from the district and Superintendent Mike Miles.
Parents said every day is a school day, but the beginning of Wednesday was different outside of Lantrip Elementary School.
“Hey, hey! Ho, ho! TEA has got to go,” parents, students, and families chanted outside the school.
It’s becoming a practice at HISD: principals are placed on leave without an explanation. This time, it’s happening at Lantrip.
“It was quite shocking. We already had a principal that left after a couple of years,” parent Donna Umechuruba said.
“Now we have another principal who has come and poured her heart into this job for four months and is suddenly put on leave,” parent Mark Garcia-Prats said.
Our reporting partners, the Houston Chronicle, have tracked more than 150 principal turnovers since Mike Miles took control of the district until June of this year. Just in the last couple of weeks, there’s been even more change since then at schools like Harvard, Memorial Elementary, and Pershing Middle. The 156 principal changes took place at 141 of the 274 schools in the district.
“It seems like it’s a pattern. Mike Miles has been going to school and disrupting them without any reason or notification,” parent Bryan Cope said.
Eyewitness News asked the district to explain the move, but HISD sent the same letter parents received.
The suspect accused of murdering Laken Riley on the University of Georgia’s campus was found guilty by a judge on all charges Wednesday, including malice murder and felony murder.
He was sentenced by the judge to life in prison without the possibility of parole, the maximum possible.
Prosecutors called the evidence against the suspect “overwhelming,” while the defense raised the theory that the defendant could be an accomplice but not the killer during closing arguments in his trial.
Jose Ibarra, 26, was accused of killing the 22-year-old nursing student while she was out for a run after prosecutors said she “refused to be his rape victim.” Jose Ibarra, an undocumented migrant, was charged with malice murder and felony murder in connection with her death, which became a rallying cry for immigration reform from many conservatives, including President-elect Donald Trump.
Jose Ibarra looks down as he listens through an interpreter during his trial at the Athens-Clarke County Superior Court on…Show moreMiguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool
Jose Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial and the case was presented over four days in the Athens-Clarke County courtroom to Judge H. Patrick Haggard, who rendered the verdict on Wednesday shortly after closing arguments in the trial.
Lauren Phillips, Riley’s sister, said her big sister was her “biggest role model.”
“I looked up to her in every way,” she said. “She brought the joy that I needed into my life and never failed to make me laugh.”
She said seeing her parents’ heartbreak is “excruciating” and she will never get closure over her sister’s murder.
“We’re a broken family of three struggling to find out how to live this life through the silence and emptiness that her absence has left behind,” she said.
Riley’s father, Jason Riley, said he is “haunted by the fear” his daughter must have felt in her final moments.
“I have to live with the fact that I could not protect her when she needed me the most,” he said.
Riley’s stepfather, John Phillips, said she was the “best daughter, sister, granddaughter, friend and overall person that you could ever hope to meet.”
“I plead with this court to protect the world from this truly evil person by sentencing him to prison for life without the possibility of parole for any reason, so that he could never have the opportunity to do this to anyone else ever again,” he said.
Several of Riley’s good friends also addressed the court, including Riley’s three roommates, who had testified during the trial about trying to find and get in touch with her the day of her murder.
Connolly Huth said she used to run with Riley, but has since “lost the joy of what running was before Laken was taken from us.”
“I live with excruciating guilt every day that I was not accompanying Laken on this run and that it was her and not me,” she said, crying. “I hope and pray that it will never happen again to anyone.”
Lilly Steiner said life has been “dull” without Riley.
“Laken left a colossal legacy to everyone she touched and I have zero doubt that she is still not finished building it,” she said. “And that is something Jose Ibarra will never be able to take away.”
Sofia Magana called Riley her “chosen family” and “fearless other half,” and said her heart is “full of grief, sadness and an overwhelming sense of lost.”
“The loss of my best friend has shattered my world in ways I never thought possible,” she said through tears.
State shows moment parents learned Riley was dead
As part of the victim impact statements ahead of sentencing, the state showed body worn camera of officers breaking the news to Laken’s family that she was dead.
Her mother could be seen collapsing on the ground, weeping.
“That’s what they endured,” special prosecutor Sheila Ross told the judge. “That’s how it was on that day when they came here to look for their daughter.”
Ross also showed the court videos of Riley, including ones of her running in a race.
Jose Ibarra faced a minimum sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole and maximum of life without the possibility of parole for the top charge of malice murder.
Ross urged the judge to offer a sentence that “brings comfort to this community” and one that “appropriately reflects the harm that was done in this case” while asking for the maximum sentence.
State says evidence ‘loud and clear’
Prosecutors called 28 witnesses while laying out what they said was evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that Jose Ibarra killed Riley, who died by blunt force head trauma and asphyxia.
Ross told the court Jose Ibarra encountered Riley while she was on her morning jog on Feb. 22 while he was out “hunting” for women on the Athens campus.
Ross said Riley “fought for her life” in a struggle that caused Jose Ibarra to leave forensic evidence behind. Digital and video evidence also pointed to him as the only killer, she said.
“The evidence in this case has been overwhelming, and the evidence in this case has spoken loud and clear — that he is Laken Riley’s killer, and that he killed her because she would not let him rape her,” Ross said during her closing argument on Wednesday.
A forensics expert testified that Jose Ibarra’s DNA was found under Riley’s right fingernails, and that his two brothers, who lived with him in an apartment near the campus, were excluded as matches.
When Jose Ibarra was questioned by police a day after the murder, he had visible scratches on his arms, officers said. He also had scratches on his neck and back, which Ross said could have only been left by Riley.
“In order to not find him guilty, you would have to disbelieve your own eyes,” Ross said.
“She marked him. She marked him for everyone to see. She marked him for you to see,” Ross told the judge.
Prosecutors argued Jose Ibarra hindered Riley from making a 911 call, and said his thumbprint was left on her phone. Data from his Samsung phone and the Garmin watch Riley was wearing on her run showed the devices overlapped and were in close proximity in the forest where she was found dead, an FBI analyst testified.
Jose Ibarra was captured on Ring footage discarding a bloody jacket and disposable gloves near his apartment about 15 minutes after Riley died, prosecutors said. The individual’s face can’t be seen in the video, but Jose Ibarra’s roommate testified that it was him. The defendant’s brother, Diego Ibarra, also identified him as the person in the video while being questioned by police a day after the murder.
Riley’s DNA was found on the jacket and gloves, the forensics expert said. Jose Ibarra’s DNA was also found on the jacket, while his two brothers were excluded as matches, the expert said.
“That is what we call consciousness of guilt in our business — he threw away those items because he knew he had killed her, and he threw them away because he didn’t want anyone to find him,” Ross said.
Her DNA was also found on an Adidas cap he was seen wearing in the video, the expert said. That cap was not discarded, Ross surmised, because Jose Ibarra could not see that there was actually blood on it.
Jose Ibarra was also seen in different clothes from the dumpster Ring footage discarding unidentifiable items in a bag that was never recovered by police hours after the killing. Ross surmised that the bag contained the clothes he was wearing earlier, which were also similar to ones he was wearing in a selfie posted on Snapchat earlier that morning.
“His digital evidence of posting selfies of himself wearing what is basically his rapist gear an hour before he leaves his house that condemns him, he has condemned himself,” Ross said.
Defense presents alternative theory
The defense called three witnesses, including a neighbor who said Diego Ibarra had threatened her the night of Riley’s murder.
The defense said they had planned to call two additional witnesses — including Diego Ibarra, who is in federal custody awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to possessing a fraudulent green card, however, his attorney did not wish for him to testify.
“While the evidence in this case is voluminous, it is circumstantial,” defense attorney Kaitlyn Beck told the judge.
Beck told the judge they advised Jose Ibarra to have a bench trial “trusting that your honor could and believing that your honor would set aside the emotions in this case and simply consider the evidence.”
She argued there is doubt about what was tested and said the judge should be “skeptical” of the DNA evidence.
She presented an “alternative theory” that Diego Ibarra was actually Riley’s murderer, and that Jose Ibarra was an accomplice in covering up the evidence.
“Maybe it was him throwing away the jacket, as Diego said, maybe he was covering up for his brother,” Beck said.
“Under that theory, of course, Jose would be guilty of tampering, but that theory does not prove that he was present or involved in the murder of Laken Riley,” she said.
She said since three gloves were discarded, which “suggests that there are multiple pairs of hands wearing those gloves.”
On rebuttal, Ross called the defense’s theory “desperate” and a “mischaracterization of the evidence.”
“There is no reasonable explanation for all of this evidence other than he is guilty of every single count in this indictment,” Ross said.
Diego Ibarra told officers during questioning that he was asleep at the time the killing occurred. A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent who was on the case testified earlier Wednesday that there was no evidence to contradict that statement.
Jose Ibarra, a migrant from Venezuela who officials said illegally entered the U.S. in 2022, waived his right to testify during the trial. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges, including malice murder and three counts of felony murder.
Additional charges in the 10-count indictment included aggravated battery, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated assault with intent to rape, obstructing or hindering a person making an emergency telephone call and tampering with evidence. The latter charge was that he “knowingly concealed” evidence — the jacket and gloves — in the murder.
Jose Ibarra was also convicted of a peeping tom offense. Prosecutors said that in the hours before Riley’s murder, he spied through the window of a UGA graduate student, and said the incident “shows his state of mind” that day.
The student testified that she called police after hearing someone trying to open her door.
Ross said the person at the student’s apartment was wearing clothes similar to the ones Jose Ibarra had on in the Snapchat selfie posted earlier that morning, including the Adidas cap.
Trump released a statement following the verdict in the high-profile trial, saying that “our hearts will always be with” Riley. He also said it’s “time to secure our border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!”
El Día de Acción de Gracias es una festividad especial que reúne a familias y amigos para compartir comida, historias y gratitud. Este año, considera una manera poderosa de retribuir a la comunidad: dona sangre. Durante la temporada navideña, las donaciones suelen disminuir, pero la necesidad de sangre para salvar vidas nunca se detiene. Tu donación puede marcar la diferencia y salvar hasta tres vidas.
La Importancia de Donar Sangre en la Comunidad Hispana
La sangre es vital para procedimientos médicos como cirugías, tratamientos de enfermedades y emergencias. Algunos tipos de sangre son más comunes entre grupos étnicos, y en el caso de la comunidad hispana, esto puede ser clave para satisfacer necesidades específicas. Donar sangre ayuda a crear un suministro diverso y asegura que quienes requieren transfusiones regulares, como personas con anemia falciforme, reciban el apoyo necesario.
Las Fiestas: Un Momento Crítico para Donar Sangre
Durante Acción de Gracias, las donaciones suelen disminuir por viajes y compromisos familiares, pero los pacientes en hospitales aún necesitan sangre. Una donación toma alrededor de una hora y puede salvar hasta tres vidas. ¿Qué mejor manera de dar gracias que ofreciendo esperanza y salud a quienes más lo necesitan?
Haz de la Donación de Sangre una Tradición Familiar
Incorpora la donación de sangre en tus celebraciones con estas ideas:
Invita a tu familia: Donar juntos puede ser una experiencia significativa y enseñar a los más pequeños el valor de ayudar a los demás.
Comparte el momento con amigos: Aprovecha la oportunidad para donar y relajarte juntos.
Dedica tu donación: Hazla en honor o memoria de alguien especial, dándole un significado aún más profundo.
Donar sangre es una manera hermosa de expresar gratitud por tu salud y bienestar, ayudando a quienes más lo necesitan. En la comunidad hispana, nuestra fortaleza radica en nuestra unidad y compasión. Este Día de Acción de Gracias, compartamos esa fuerza donando sangre.
Para más información, visita giveblood.org/Espanol. ¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias del Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center!
This post was sponsored by Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.
Mexican filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios—whose films Gueros and Museo have screened during the Latin Wave festival at the MFAH—sets his first American movie in the heart of a bustling New York restaurant in Times Square. Rooney Mara and Raúl Briones lead a large ensemble cast of kitchen workers chasing the elusive American dream, captured in agile black-and-white cinematography by Juan Pablo Ramírez.
Tickets
$9 general admission; $7 MFAH members, students with ID, seniors (65+)
Plan Your Visit
This screening takes place in Brown Auditorium Theater on the lower level of the Law Building.
HOUSTON – David Northern was not present in the Houston Housing Authority board meeting Monday, but within minutes the board went into executive session to discuss his future with the HHA. He ended up resigning through his attorney who was present.
Northern was placed on paid administrative leave last month pending the outcome of an investigation.
Months ago, KPRC 2 started our own investigation involving Northern, the then HHA president and CEO. Investigative reporter Amy David revealed millions of dollars in questionable contracts for work on HHA properties, some that included AC unit installation and replacement.
We found one contractor hired to handle the AC units at HHA properties wasn’t even registered in Texas at the time their contract was granted. That contractor and others hired for various jobs were found to have very little experience.
Monday, following a two hour executive session, the board returned. After addressing other points of order, the big announcement was made.
“Mr. David Northern, that he resigns his employment as president and CEO of the Houston Housing Authority effective immediately in exchange for a severance payment of six months salary, cost of the continuation of insurance benefits for six months or until Mr. Northern makes alternative arrangements,” Chairman Jody Proler said.
Northern’s attorney, Patrick Yarborough, spoke on Northern’s behalf and confirmed the resignation. He did not want to comment further. The board accepted a motion for the resignation and 6 months severance pay. Only HHA chairman Jody Proler voted against the resolution.
