Rumors of Carole Baskin's husband being alive may be just that

Back when coronavirus disease (COVID-19) had taken over the world, and we were all locked in our houses, the Netflix original series "Tiger King" skyrocketed in popularity. The world was entranced by eccentric tiger enthusiast Joe Exotic and his arch-nemesis Carole Baskin.

The documentary focused on the close-knit big cat community and the constant drama that surrounded them. Both Exotic and Baskin went head to head to destroy each other's reputations. But the most prominent scandal in the docuseries was a rumor, promoted by Exotic, accusing Baskin of killing her husband.

Baskin married her husband, Don Lewis, in 1991, and the pair founded Wildlife on Easy Street. It would later be known as Big Cat Rescue in 1992 and fulfilled Baskin’s lifelong passion for rescuing tigers. In 1997, Lewis mysteriously went missing, and in 2002, he was pronounced legally dead after there was no word from him in those five years.

The TV series went over the various possibilities that could explain Lewis’ disappearance. Baskin presumed that her husband fled to Costa Rica while Exotic, and even Lewis’ children, accused Baskin of murdering her husband. 

Baskin claimed that Lewis told her he was going on a trip to Costa Rica, and two days after his alleged disappearance, his car was found near a remote airport. Despite her story, Exotic’s theory was that Baskin had murdered Lewis, put him in a meat grinder and fed him to her tigers.

This theory was further backed up by Lewis’ children from his previous marriage, who claimed that their father had told them that he was planning on divorcing Baskin. Lewis’ relatives even went as far as to say, "'It (the animal sanctuary) is a perfect scenario to dispose of someone. We were upset that the cops didn’t test the DNA on the meat grinder."

This new revelation that Lewis was planning on divorcing Baskin gave a motive for the possible murder. After the docuseries was released on Netflix, the world was convinced that Baskin was a crazy cat lady who fed her husband to tigers.

A few years later, the second season of "Tiger King" was released, and it went even more in-depth regarding Lewis’ disappearance. Although many thought it was a cold case that would never be solved, the series revealed that the Department of Homeland Security determined that Lewis was, in fact, alive.

Baskin, now re-married, even reacted to the claims by the department, stating on ITV's This Morning, "He took about $1 million down to Costa Rica, and I had agreed to let him do that so that he could prove to himself that he couldn't make a living. So I don't know how it is that (the department) says he's alive and well in Costa Rica, but I'm glad to hear it."

Baskin almost seemed shocked that her husband was alive but seemed supportive that he was rumored to be living well in another country. But many were hesitant to celebrate Lewis’ safe return to the public eye since no one had still heard or seen anything from him. 

Despite the department confirming that Lewis is alive, Baskin has had to continually reiterate that fact to the media. Suspicion remains high due to the lack of proof besides word from the department.

Baskin even went as far as to post the supposed letter from the department all over her "Big Cat Rescue" website, along with the statement: "'For everyone who still wants to believe that Carole killed Don, then please explain to us why you think armchair detectives or you are better informed than the Special Agent in Charge at the FBI in this Homeland Security Document, which says 'Don Lewis is currently alive and well in Costa Rica.' This was reported to Jorge Fernandez of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office by the SAC at the FBI according to this letter.'"

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the main police station placed with this case, has put out a statement recently that they have had no contact with the department and are still considering Lewis a missing person.

There has been no specific location for Lewis or any pictures or statements from him. The only information that the public has at this time is that he is alive and well, but no other proof is available.