The drama surrounding Netflix’s Tiger King continues, as it’s now been confirmed by a Florida Sheriff that the will of Carole Baskin’s missing first husband, Don Lewis, was forged. Directed by Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin, the wild true crime series originally hit the streaming platform back in March and has continued to garner attention ever since. Centering on an eccentric big cat owner in Oklahoma named Joe Exotic, the docu-series chronicles his turbulent relationship with the owner of Big Cat Rescue in Florida, Baskin, which eventually culminates in an attempted murder-for-hire by Exotic on Baskin.
The documentary series became so popular that several adaptations are currently in the works and a number of celebrities have jumped at the opportunity to play these colorful characters. So far, Nicolas Cage and Kate McKinnon have already been cast in the roles of Exotic and Baskin, respectively, in different shows. However, amongst the excitement of new shows centering on this truly bizarre story, many have opted to take a deeper look into the show and the people at its center. In particular, Florida Sheriffs took to reopening the case surrounding the disappearance of Baskin’s first husband, Don Lewis, back in late March, following much speculation from fans of the show regarding what exactly happened to him. Now, it looks like there’s been a shocking new twist in the case.
According to EW, a Florida Sheriff “has declared that the will of Carole Baskin’s missing husband, Don Lewis, was forged.” According to Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, “They called in some experts” who deemed it “100% a forgery.” The will had reportedly left “Lewis’ wealth to Baskin and cut out his family,” but Baskin has “repeatedly denied knowing anything about Lewis’ disappearance.” A report in the Clarion-Ledger newspaper also stated that “the notary listed on the will and power of attorney did not remember authenticating the documents,” and that “two handwriting experts had determined Lewis’ signature was “traced” from a previous document.” However, according to Chronister, “the statute of limitations had expired, so criminal charges could not be filed against anybody for a fraudulent will,” but the case of Lewis’ disappearance remains open.
Chronister has also stated that investigators are pursuing great leads that they’re currently working through. Baskin, on the other hand, hasn’t been too happy about all of this. In a lengthy response to the series on her Big Cat Rescue website, Baskin claimed that the show’s filmmakers, Goode and Chaiklin, weren’t searching for the truth, but were fueled by lies from non-credible sources. She also explains in the post that if viewers want to know the truth, it would require understanding her lengthy past with Lewis.
Even though Baskin’s response to the series, in particular the episode dedicated to Lewis’ mysterious disappearance, was incredibly detailed, new evidence like the forged will certainly complicate matters for her moving forward. Especially now that she’s taken control of Exotic’s zoo, it seems like the Tiger King saga is far from over. Not to mention, with a follow-up episode currently in production, more episodes could be coming fairly soon.
