Carole Baskin, the star of the hit Netflix documentary "Tiger King" rose to fame for being a cat lover, leonine print wearer, subject of a conspiracy theory featuring Britney Spears and the 2002 VMAs and a person of interest in the disappearance of her former husband, Jack Donald Lewis, also known as Don, who was a millionaire in Florida. Don Lewis vanished in 1996.
Tiger King star Carole Baskin in hot water
Baskin has denied any role in the disappearance of her husband and she stated in a blog post on the website for Big Cat Rescue that the filmmakers focused on rumors and lies surrounding her. But following the success of the series, with thousands of viewers obsessively searching for Tiger King-related articles, a sheriff from Florida is now capitalizing on the interest in Don Lewis's disappearance and has requested tips linked to the case.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister tweeted on March 30th "Since Netflix and #Covid19 #quarantine has made #TigerKing all the rage, I figured it was a good time to ask for new leads."
Chronister held a press conference and stated that the department has gotten around six tips every day regarding the case, even though a few of them have been substantive. Chronister said that there is no real charges or evidence leading to probably cause. They are hoping that changes the more people watch the show.
Summary of Tiger King
For those who have not watched the show and is curious on what it is about, it featured the life of Lewis and Baskin. The couple ran a wildlife sanctuary in Tampa, Florida, when he disappeared in August 1997. Baskin immediately reported her husband's disappearance but nothing came out of the case. Lewis's van was found at a nearby airport and Baskin told the police that her husband had planned to transport cars to Costa Rica the night before he disappeared.
Basically, Tiger King is a documentary that focuses on the speculation over whether Basin was the one responsible for her husband's disappearance. The documentary was voiced by members of Lewis's family, including his first wife, his daughters, and Joe Exotic, the owner of a massive cat park in Oklahoma.
Joe Exotic, another person from the series who rose to fame, has long been embroiled in a rivalry with Baskin over her claims that his massive cat park exploited tigers and tiger cubs by allowing guests to pet and pose for pictures with them, among other things. Joe Exotic is currently serving 22 years in prison for allegedly hiring a hitman to kill Baskin. Exotic states that he is innocent and that he was set up, he has filed a lawsuit to this effect for a total of $94 million.
During Chronister's press conference, he said that Baskin had declined a polygraph during the investigation. She said that her attorney had instructed her not to take it because it would not exonerate her or prevent her form being charged. Baskin has never faced any charges linked to her husband's disappearance and the case is still open to this day.
Chronister said that the case is too complicated and that a lot of people have their theory. They haven't received any valuable tips related to the disappearance of Lewis and they are soliciting new information.
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