Restitution from a man who faked his own death allowed the DNR to buy a valuable piece of search equipment.
The DNR used about $9,000 of the funds to purchase a device called a towfish sonar.
The unit can map the bottom of waterbodies for missing persons, items and hazards.
The DNR has only had the towfish a few weeks, but its already helped with four missions, and helped located two missing people.
The towfish increases the effectiveness of searching while reducing the risk to divers.
“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."
Ryan Borgwardt staged a boating fatality on Big Green Lake, the state’s deepest inland lake, back in August 2024.
Almost two months later, authorities determined he had fled the country and falsified his death for personal reasons.
Green Lake County Sheriff and other law enforcement partners located Borgwardt in Europe and convinced him to return to Green Lake.
The court ordered Borgwardt to pay restitution to the DNR for its approximately 350 hours of staff time spent searching for him.
