'Tiger King': Jeff Lowe Reacts to Sheriff Reopening Carole Baskin's Husband's Missing Person Case

At least one subject of Netflix's true crime docuseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is [...]

By Allison Schonter

At least one subject of Netflix's true crime docuseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is applauding a Florida sheriff's decision to reopen the investigation into the 1997 disappearance of Don Lewis, Carole Baskin's second husband. After Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister announced Monday that he was looking for "new leads" in the case, Jeff Lowe, Joe Exotic's predecessor, said that it's "about d– time."

"Joe had a whole file cabinet in the office full of all the paperwork proving it way more than the documentary showed," Lowe told Us Weekly just after the announcement. "He has handwriting analysis, Carole's diary, just tons of stuff that pointed to her guilt. Joe had a spy inside Carole's office for a while. She was sending him all kinds of personal information, but Carole finally found out and fired the girl."

"Carole is guilty, in my opinion," Lowe, who currently owns and operates the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park as Exotic serves a 22-year prison sentence, added. "Don was already trying to plan his exit and was trying to find a way to keep his money if he was going to divorce her."

Lewis was last seen alive in August of 1997, with Baskin having been the last person to see him. He was declared dead five years later, and while the case has gone cold, Tiger King has reignited interest. On Monday, the Hillsborough County sheriff posted a missing persons flyer for Lewis along with a plea for any new information.

Speaking to local station News Channel 8, Chronister explained that his office has been receiving "six tips a day" over the course of the past three or four days and that leads have been coming in ever since the series' debut earlier this month. As a result, a detective supervisor has been assigned to the leads coming in to the office and will be reviewing "a lot of the evidence." The outlet also confirmed that Chronister would be addressing the media on Tuesday regarding the ongoing investigation.

Although she suggested that he may have fled to Costa Rica, theories have lingered that Baskin had a role in his disappearance, with many speculating that she may have used a meat grinder to dispose of Lewis' body and feed him to her tigers or that she buried him under a septic tank. Baskin, however, has denied any involvement and recently slammed how the series portrayed her husband's disappearance.

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is available for streaming on Netflix.

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