Disappearance of Don Lewis
Jack Donald Lewis (born April 30, 1938) was an American missing person who disappeared on the morning of August 18, 1997, 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. No evidence has surfaced that Lewis was the victim of a crime, but friends, family, and investigators believe it is unlikely that he disappeared by choice because he had been executing business plans that were left unfinished. Lewis left behind over US$5 million in assets. He was declared legally dead in 2002 on the fifth anniversary of his disappearance.
Don Lewis | |
|---|---|
Photo of Don Lewis provided by the Hillsborough County Sheriff during his investigation into Lewis' disappearance | |
| Born | Jack Donald Lewis April 30, 1938 Dade City, Florida, U.S. |
| Disappeared | August 18, 1997 (aged 59) Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
| Status | Declared dead in absentia on August 19, 2002 (aged 64) |
| Other names | Bob Martinez |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 4 |
Lewis's disappearance was covered in both seasons of the crime documentary series Tiger King, which focused on a feud between Baskin and Oklahoma-based private zoo owner Joe Exotic. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has used the popularity of Tiger King to help investigate the disappearance.