One of the biggest mysteries from season one that captivated viewers was the disappearance of Carole Baskin\u2019s husband Don Lewis in August 1997.<\/p>\n
While the Big Cat Rescue founder is now remarried, Tiger King looked at her missing former husband Lewis, who she wed in 1991 at the age of 20 when he was 42.<\/p>\n
Lewis\u2019s van was found at a private airport two days after he went missing and while police investigated the case, his body was never found and he was declared dead in 2002.<\/p>\n
The second season of Tiger King looks at additional theories around his disappearance, from the possibility that Lewis could still be alive to other characters that may have wanted him dead.<\/p>\n
Read on for everything we know about Don Lewis\u2019s disappearance and the theories around it.<\/p>\n
Theory 1: Don Lewis\u2019s plane crashed<\/h2>\n
The theory around Lewis\u2019s disappearance that many, including Carole Baskin, subscribe to is that the big cat owner crashed his plane on the way to Costa Rica and went down over the ocean.<\/p>\n
While Lewis\u2019s pilot\u2019s licence had been suspended at the time, Baskin said that he would frequently fly to Costa Rica and this theory would explain why none of his credit cards were used after his disappearance and why his body wasn\u2019t found.<\/p>\n
![\""Carole\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2020\/09\/carole_baskin_tiger_king-307e5b0.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"carole-baskin-interview-tiger-king-2\"\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>In a Reddit thread<\/a>, posted on 15th November, Baskin wrote that she believes Lewis crashed a small plane into the Gulf as \u201che couldn\u2019t file a flight plan and had to take off from closed airports to evade detection\u201d due to his lack of a pilot\u2019s licence.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had to fly under 200 feet to stay off the radar which means he would typically fly out over the Gulf because the air is smoother there, whereas over land there are up and down drafts that will crash you at the height.\u201d<\/p>\n The first season of Tiger King looks at whether Don Lewis was killed in Florida, with his daughter Donna suggesting that he may have been fed to the cats at the Big Cat Rescue sanctuary.<\/p>\n She is quoted by the 1998 People<\/a> magazine article as saying: \u201cWe were upset that the cops didn\u2019t test the DNA on the meat grinder.\u201d<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, Joe Exotic was keen to suggest that Baskin killed her husband, but he isn\u2019t the only person who suspected her. She inherited millions once he was declared dead, and Lewis had filed a restraining order against her two months before his disappearance. Lewis\u2019s children, from a previous marriage, claim he had told them he was about to leave her. Baskin has repeatedly and vehemently denied these accusations.<\/p>\n The second season of Tiger King explores the theory that Don Lewis could still be alive in Costa Rica, where he was reportedly planning on moving indefinitely.<\/p>\n In episode two, Lewis\u2019s lawyer Joseph Fritz tells the documentary that he learned that there were \u201cfederal reports of [Lewis] alive and well in Costa Rica\u201d.<\/p>\n The documentary then produces a Homeland Security document, which reads: \u201cLewis owns property in Costa Rica and has travelled regularly. In the latter part of August 1997, Lewis\u2019s wife Carole filed a missing persons report.<\/p>\n \u201c[Redacted] has learned that Don Lewis is currently alive and well in Costa Rica. Lewis has loaned money to various individuals and could live quite well. Lewis could reside in Costa Rica indefinitely.\u201d<\/p> Later in the episode, Don\u2019s associate Rey Rodriguez reveals that Lewis had plans to move to Costa Rica, saying: \u201cHe talked about moving to Costa Rica and starting over afresh.<\/p>\n \u201cDon told me he was there to get away from Carole and so he put investments into my name,\u201d before adding that Lewis was in contact with a gang who forged passports and could have started a new life under a different name.<\/p>\n Another line of investigation Tiger King 2 looks into is the possibility that Don Lewis was murdered by shady individuals he\u2019d had business dealing with either in Costa Rica or the US.<\/p>\nTheory 2: Don Lewis was murdered in Florida<\/h2>\n
Theory 3: Don Lewis is still alive in Costa Rica<\/h2>\n
Theory 4: Don Lewis was killed by shady business contacts<\/h2>\n