What happened to Don Lewis? : Disappearance of Jack Donald Lewis
Jack Donald Lewis is an American Missing person who disappeared in the morning of August 18, 1997. He went missing after leaving his home in Tampa, Florida. The investigation into his disappearance has stretched from Lewis’s Wildlife on Easy Street sanctuary in Tampa, co-owned with his second wife Carole Baskin, to land owned by Lewis in Costa Rica. But still no evidence of him being murdered has surfaced, But the detectives believes it is unlikely that he disappeared on his own free will. jack was declared legally dead in 2002 on the fifth anniversary of his disappearance.
Don Lewis born on 30 April 1938. is a native of Dade City in Florida. By 1981, Lewis had made his living through trucking, real estate and his used car businesses. He was married to his first wife, Gladys Lewis Cross, and had three daughters and an adopted son.
In January 1981, Lewis met Carole Murdock on Nebraska Avenue in Tampa, on a night when she fled her house after being attacked by her abusive first husband, Michael Murdock. Carole Murdock and Lewis began having an affair while they were still married to their partners. She became one of his many girlfriends and substantially grew his wealth by helping him buy and sell real estate in 1984. Lewis and Murdock divorced each of their spouses and married in 1991. The following year, the couple co-founded Wildlife on Easy Street now known as Big Cat Rescue, an animal sanctuary for big cats in Tampa. The two clashed over how to run the sanctuary; he wanted to breed the cats and operate it as a business while she wanted it to be a non-profitable charity organization.
On August 18, 1997. Donald disappeared after leaving his home to make an early morning delivery at around 6:00 a.m. Then on the 20th of August his white 1989 Dodge Ram Van was found at the Pilot Country Airport in Spring Hill, Florida, 40 miles way from the sanctuary. At the time of his disappearance, Lewis owned several planes and was known to sometimes fly them even though his private pilot license was suspended. The keys to the van were found on the floorboard and the van had been parked for a couple of days. No evidence was found around the van.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office “found no sign of foul play” at the Tampa sanctuary and visited the Costa Rican town of Bagaces, where Lewis owned a 200-acre park, as part of their investigation. The investigation in Costa Rica lasted five days. In Costa Rica, investigators found indications that Lewis engaged in extramarital affairs and questionable business practices. They also found that two of Lewis’s ocelots had recently been shipped out, but their whereabouts were unknown. None of Lewis’s credit cards have been used since his disappearance.
Lewis left behind holdings estimated at more than US$5 million, leading to a legal dispute between Baskin and Lewis’s children. Lewis was declared legally dead in 2002. Most of his estate was left to Baskin. In 2004, Baskin refused to take a polygraph related to the investigation, as advised by her attorney. Lewis’s children have volunteered to take polygraphs. By 2005, authorities leaned away from the theory that Lewis disappeared on his own. No one has ever been arrested or charged with a crime in relation to the case.
Description of Jack Donald Lewis
- Sex: Male
- Age: 81
- Race: White
- Height: 5’10” tall
- Weight: 170 pounds
In 2020, using the popularity of the Netflix documentary series Tiger King, the Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister appealed to the public for vital leads or evidence for the disappearance of Don Lewis. Since the release of the series, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office has received six tips a day related to the case. Chronister expressed his belief that a former employee of Wildlife on Easy Street that had a sour relationship with either Lewis or Baskin will step forward with evidence. Chronister clarified that his department does not “have any type of evidence, not one piece, that suggests that Lewis was killed” or that a crime was even committed. He also stated his opinion that Tiger King was spun for entertainment. The case is still open As of 2021.
Anyone with information about Lewis’ disappearance is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office at 813-247-8200.
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