HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WAND) - A new popular Netflix show has gained the attention of a Florida sheriff and caused him to ask for new leads in a 1997 cold case.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said he's hoping the show "Tiger King" will bring in new leads for the disappearance of Jack Donald "Don" Lewis.
The true crime docuseries debuted on Netflix this month and it's about the life of Oklahoma zookeeper Joseph Exotic and the events that led him to plan a murder-for-hire plot against animal rights activist Carole Baskin.
The show also documents Baskin's life, including when her husband, Don Lewis, went missing in 1997.
“Tiger King” and its strange-but-true story has fascinated the internet, its success seemingly fueled by captive audiences sheltering at home during the coronavirus pandemic, even catching the attention of celebrities like Kim Kardashian West.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister is taking advantage of the show's popularity to ask for new leads in the case of Lewis.
“Since @netflix and #Covid19 #Quarantine has made #TigerKing all the rage, I figured it was a good time to ask for new leads,” Chronister wrote.
Since @netflix and #Covid19 #Quarantine has made #TigerKing all the rage, I figured it was a good time to ask for new leads. #CaroleBaskin #DonLewis #Netflix #Tiger #BigCatRescue #JoeExotic #TigerKingNetflix #HCSO pic.twitter.com/LHoJcBZVOI
— Chad Chronister (@ChadChronister) March 30, 2020
Lewis was a multi-millionaire and was married to Baskin. Before his disappearance he was running a wildlife sanctuary in Tampa with Baskin. He vanish in August 1997.
The series shows how rumors around Lewis' disappearance spread by Exotic and others.
Baskin reported her husband missing. Like most couples she said we had our moments.
“Don was not easy to live with and like most couples, we had our moments,” Baskin wrote. “But I never threatened him and I certainly had nothing to do with his disappearance.”
Baskin denied rumors that she was involved. She has never been charged in relation to his disappearance.