She must be a lion! Tiger King star Carole Baskin’s claim her ex-husband is alive is gunned down by the sheriff – who said he still hasn’t been seen or heard from since 1997
- Baskin’s claims depend on an unconfirmed letter from the Department of Homeland Security seen on Netflix’s Tiger King season two
- The document appears to state that Don Lewis has been in Costa Rica and is “alive and well,” although he has been missing without a trace for more than two decades
- Florida Sheriff’s Office officials overseeing Lewis’s missing person’s file say they have never received confirmation from DHS that he is alive
The shocking claim that Tiger King star Carole Baskin’s long-presumed-dead ex-husband Don Lewis is actually alive was a surprising development in the case, especially for the Florida Sheriff’s Office, who are still actively searching for him .
In a televised interview months ago, Baskin claimed her ex-husband, who was legally pronounced dead in 2002 after disappearing years earlier, is still alive.
The claim that he was “alive and safe in Costa Rica” was challenged by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, which remains in charge of the hunt for Lewis and still has an open missing persons case for him.
Big cat rescuer Carole Baskin (left) with her first husband Don Lewis before his mysterious disappearance in 1997
The unconfirmed letter from the Department of Homeland Security claiming Don Lewis is alive and well and residing in Costa Rica. He was 59 when he disappeared and would be 84 now
Jack Don Lewis remains listed as a “missing adult at risk” who “left his families” on August 18, 1997. [sic] residence and has not been seen or heard from since.’
The New York Post reported Thursday that the sheriff’s office largely dismissed Baskin’s comments that her ex lives and thrives in the tropics.
A spokesman for the office said they had not heard anything about Lewis’ whereabouts, despite Baskin’s claims that a Homeland Security officer had been in contact with her ex and subsequently informed the sheriff’s office.
The Sheriff’s Public Information Office, Fentress Fountain, said: “We have received no communication from our federal partners confirming the whereabouts of the missing person, Mr. Don Lewis.”
“The investigation into the disappearance of Don Lewis remains a priority for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, as do all missing persons cases.”
Baskin said that she herself was unaware of the letter from DHS until Tiger King season 2 aired, briefly enclosing an undated and unconfirmed letter from Homeland Security that read in part, “Don Lewis is currently alive and well in Costa Rica.”
When the claim was first made, the lead detective on the case – Cpl. Moises Garcia – told the Tampa Bay Times that the case remains open despite the apparent writing from DHS.
“We continue to look into this case intensively … We still have a few options. Not a week goes by that we don’t have our hand in this case,” he said.
He told the outlet that DHS recently assisted the sheriff’s office by “shutting down leads in Costa Rica,” but did not confirm those leads led to reports that Lewis was found “alive and well.”
Baskin and Lewis in Tiger King season 2. He left his residence in 1997 and was never seen again by friends or family members
A 2021 British TV interview in which Carole Baskin claimed her legally dead husband Don Lewis was alive and living in Costa Rica has recently resurfaced
Joe Exotic (pictured), real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is now serving a 21-year sentence for hiring two hitmen to kill Baskin
Two years after Don Lewis was pronounced dead, Carole remarried Howard Baskin, her current husband
A lawyer for Baskin’s currently imprisoned nemesis, Joe Exotic, also dismissed the claim that Lewis actually still walks among us.
“He is not alive,” John Phillips wrote, sharing a link to coverage of Baskin’s claim.
“During the making of Tiger King there was an intense search for Don Lewis. They all failed. Alive now,” he wrote.
Lewis was 59 when he went missing, he would be 84 now if alive. His missing persons record lists him as 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds.
A few years after his disappearance, Baskin married her current husband, Howard.