Disappearance of Don Lewis

Jack Donald Lewis disappeared on August 18, 1997 after leaving his home in Tampa, Florida, United States. No evidence of Lewis being killed has surfaced and he was declared legally dead in 2002. As of 2020, the case is still open. Lewis' disappearance was covered in 2020 crime documentary series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, which focused on a feud between Lewis' second wife Carole Baskin and private zoo owner Joe Exotic. Background: Don Lewis was a native of Dade City, Florida, United States. Lewis was a self-made millionaire by 1981 through the real estate and used cars businesses. By that time, Lewis was married to his first wife Gladys Lewis Cross and had three daughters and an adopted son. That year, Lewis first met Carole Baskin on Nebraska Avenue in Tampa, Florida when she was nineteen years old. Baskin and Lewis engaged in an affair while both were still married. Baskin became one of Lewis' many girlfriends and she substantially grew his wealth by helping him buy and sell real estate in 1984. The couple divorced each of their spouses and married in 1991. In 1992, Lewis and Baskin co-founded Wildlife on Easy Street (now called Big Cat Rescue), a big cats animal sanctuary in Tampa. According to Baskin and the 2020 crime documentary series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, Lewis would take monthly flights to Costa Rica to deal with his sex addiction. Lewis told family members and friends that he was planning to eventually move to Costa Rica. In early 1997, Lewis began transferring ownership of his properties in Florida to a Costa Rican company he controlled. In July 1997, Lewis filed a restraining order against Baskin, claiming that Baskin had threatened to kill him; the restraining order was rejected. Lewis continued to live with Baskin afterwards. Lewis told Baskin multiple times that he wanted a divorce, but she did not think he was ever serious. In the days leading up to his disappearance, Lewis bought a plane ticket to Costa Rica and was loading equipment on a truck destined for Miami, Florida. Investigation: Lewis disappeared on August 18, 1997 at around 6:00 a.m. On August 20, 1997, Lewis' white 1989 Dodge van was found at the Pilot Country Airport in Springhill, Florida, forty miles away from the sanctuary. At the time of his disappearance, Lewis was known to own several planes and would fly them even though his private pilot licence was suspended. The keys to the van were found on the floorboard and the van had been parked for a couple of days. No evidence was found within the van. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office "found no sign of foul play" at the Big Cat Rescue sanctuary and visited Bagaces, Costa Rica, where Lewis owned a 200-acre park, as part of their investigation. The investigation in Costa Rica lasted five days. In Costa Rica, investigators found indications that Lewis engaged in extramarital affairs and illegal business practices. Investigators also found that two of Lewis' ocelots had recently been shipped out, but their whereabouts were not be found. None of Lewis' credit cards have been used since his disappearance. Lewis left behind holdings estimated at more than $5 million, leading to a legal dispute between Baskin and Lewis' children. Lewis was declared legally dead in 2002. Most of Lewis' estate was left to Baskin. In 2004, Baskin refused to take a polygraph related to the investigation, as advised by her attorney. The rest of Lewis' family has volunteered to take polygraphs. By 2005, authorities leaned away from the theory that Lewis disappeared on his own. Hillsborough County Sergeant John Marsicano stated that, "from an investigative standpoint", it didn't seem like Lewis ran off on his own. In 2020, the Tiger King series became popular as many people stayed at home due to the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Using the popularity of Tiger King, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister appealed to the public for legitimate leads or evidence. Since the release of the series, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has received six tips a day related to the disappearance. Chronister reiterated that his department doesn't "have any type of evidence, not one piece, that suggests that Lewis was killed." The case is still open as of 2020. Unofficial theories: In December 1998, Pam Lambert of People wrote that there was "a wealth of suspects and scenarios, but precious little evidence." The third episode of Tiger King, "The Secret", covered multiple theories surrounding Lewis' disappearance. Lewis' children have pushed a theory that Baskin fed Lewis to the tigers, and have criticized investigators for not running a DNA test on a meat grinder at the sanctuary. Baskin reacted to the allegations saying that there would be human bones as remains if the tigers would have eaten Lewis. Baskin expressed her disappointment about the theories to Lambert, saying "Can you imagine having people think you killed your husband or wife and not being able to prove otherwise? Without a body, there is nothing I can do to clear my name." Baskin has a long-running feud with private zoo owner Joe Exotic. Exotic has promoted an unsubstantiated theory that Baskin was involved in the disappearance of Lewis. Exotic created a music video entitled "Here Kitty Kitty" that had a Baskin-lookalike feed raw meat to tigers.