Tiger King Sparks Police Request for New Leads in the Disappearance of Carole Baskin's Husband

Following the popularity of Netflix Tiger King, police are requesting new leads in the disappearance of Carole Baskin's husband, Don Lewis.

By Pamela Avila Mar 31, 2020 12:19 AMTags
Watch: Kate McKinnon Playing Carole Baskin in Scripted "Tiger King" TV Show

Following the massive popularity Netflix's Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, Florida sheriff Chad Chronister is asking fans for new leads in the disappearance of Carole Baskin's husband, Jack "Don" Lewis

On Monday morning, the Hillsborough County sheriff wrote on Twitter, "Since @netflix and #Covid19 #Quarantine has made #TigerKing all the rage, I figured it was a good time to ask for new leads."

He also shared an image of Lewis which reveals that the multimillionaire would have been 81-years-old now. 

As Tiger King fans may recall, Lewis mysteriously disappeared in August 1997 and since the documentary's release, fans have also speculated that he was possibly murdered by his wife and founder of Big Cat Rescue. 

Tiger King's Joseph Maldonado-Passage—also known as "Joe Exotic" and former tiger-zoo owner—has also speculated about Baskin's involvement in Lewis' disappearance. He is currently serving 22 years in federal prison after being convicted of trying to hire a hit-man to murder Baskin

Baskin has also expressed her reservations about the way she was portrayed in the Netflix documentary. 

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In a statement, she said that when Tiger King directors reached out to her five years ago, she was intrigued in the idea of the project because she was under the impression it would "expose the misery caused by the rampant breeding of big cat cubs for exploitation." 

However, she added, "There are no words for how disappointing it is to see that the series not only does not do any of that, but has instead chosen to be as salacious and sensational as possible to draw in viewers. As part of that, they devoted an entire segment to 23-year-old lies and innuendos suggesting I was involved in my husband Don's 1997 disappearance." 

Baskin also said in the statement that she will not use her platform to bring more attention to Netflix or "their unethical practices, especially when so many of their so-called inside sources have been clearly shown to be heavily biased." 

Tiger King is currently streaming on Netflix.