WISCONSIN (CBS 58) — The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources says restitution paid by a kayaker who faked his death has been used to purchase new sonar equipment that is already helping locate missing people.

Ryan Borgwardt staged a boating fatality on Big Green Lake in August 2024, prompting an extensive search. Nearly two months later, investigators determined he had fled to Europe and faked his death for personal reasons before eventually returning to Wisconsin.

Following a 2025 Green Lake County Circuit Court ruling, Borgwardt was ordered to reimburse the DNR for approximately 350 hours of staff time spent searching for him.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources used about $9,000 of that restitution to purchase a towfish sonar system capable of mapping lake bottoms to assist in searches for missing people, objects and underwater hazards.

According to the DNR, the equipment has already been deployed on four missions since becoming operational and has helped locate two missing people.

"The towfish unit is a vital tool to our program that will assist in bringing closure to families and communities when tragedy strikes," said Lt. Drew Starch, who oversees the DNR's underwater search and recovery team. "The new equipment will be used in searches for the truly missing and help those waiting on the shore."

The DNR said the sonar system will also support environmental investigations, critical infrastructure inspections and the protection of Wisconsin's underwater cultural resources, including historic shipwrecks in Lake Michigan.