‘TIGER’ TALE IN COURT
$100G for ‘King’ info
The family of Don Lewis, whose mysterious 1997 disappearance is a major plot line on the “Tiger King” documentary series, has hired a lawyer and is offering $100,000 in exchange for information that helps solve the case.
Attorney John Phillips announced the investigation into Lewis’ disappearance during a press conference Monday. He said that on behalf of the Lewis family he’s filed a lawsuit against Lewis’ second wife, Carole Baskin, in an attempt to depose her and get her to speak on the record. He and the family have paid for Tampa-area billboards asking for information in the case.
“Resolving this case is in everyone’s best interest,” Phillips said at the Riverhills Church of God in Tampa.
Lewis (pictured) vanished a day before a scheduled trip to Costa Rica and was never found. He was declared legally dead in 2002. He and Baskin started the animal sanctuary, which later became Big Cat Rescue Corp. in Tampa.
Three of Lewis’ daughters were at the news conference. His youngest daughter Gale Rathbone expressed gratitude for those interested in the case.
“Amazingly, our little family tragedy has become your tragedy. Our search for closure and truth has become your mission also,” she said. “We all know by now that [Lewis] was not a perfect man. But do only the perfect among us deserve justice?”
Lewis’ case, and Baskin, were featured in “Tiger King.” Baskin is still the owner of Big Cat Rescue, and lobbies for abolishing private wildlife ownership.
“Tiger King” is a documentary series about Joseph Maldonado-Passage, also known as Joe Exotic, an eccentric former Oklahoma zookeeper who loves big cats.
Earlier this year, Maldonado-Passage was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in a murder-for-hire plot. He was convicted of trying to hire someone to kill Baskin, who had tried to shut him down, accusing the Oklahoma zoo of abusing animals and selling big cat cubs.
In retaliation, Maldonado-Passage raised questions about Baskin’s former husband, Jack “Don” Lewis. The documentary extensively covered Maldonado-Passage’s repeated accusations that Baskin killed her husband and possibly fed him to her tigers. Baskin hasn’t been charged with any crime and has repeatedly released statements denying the accusations made in the series.
In an email to local news outlet WFLA, Baskin addressed Lewis’ family’s investigation.
“I believe it is a publicity stunt orchestrated by [family spokesman] Jack Smith to bolster his YouTube views but do hope that all of the attention from Tiger King and the aftermath will result in us finding Don,” she wrote.