Don Lewis was born on April 30, 1938, and out of Dade City, Florida, U.S.. He was an American missing individual who vanished on the morning of August 18, 1997, after leaving his home in Tampa, Florida.
Recently, the household of Don Lewis is speaking out and also offering a $100,000 reward for information resulting in the whereabouts of this 60-year-old millionaire and animal sanctuary owner. Attorney John Phillips announced the investigation into Lewis' disappearance during a press conference Monday and urged people with information to return.
He said"Resolving this circumstance is in everyone's best interest," and also a benefit of $100,000 has been offered in exchange for information to help solve the case. Lewis's youngest daughter, Gale Rathbone in an interview stated that"We are thankful for the outpouring of support we have received," she explained. "Our family catastrophe is now your catastrophe. Our search for truth is now your mission, also."
Afterwards, she added"We're asking that anyone with essential information come forward so that progress can be made on this circumstance," Rathbone continued. "I still to this day miss my daddy. I love my daddy. For 23 years, I've gone to bed each night knowing that the only prospect of seeing him again is in my dreams. I hope that someday we -- and you too -- will know the facts and understand what's going to happen to him"
His real name is Jack Donald Lewis and was last observed on August 18, 1997, the Sheriff's Department states.
Don Lewis disappeared apparently without a trace and according to the Tampa Bay Tribune,"His van was located at a Pasco County airport with the keys on the ground. Deputies searched the wildlife sanctuary, then called Wildlife on Easy Street, also flew to Costa Rica searching for leads.
Following the Netflix documentary #TigerKing was aired the Sheriff's Department is getting a half dozen hints a day about the disappearance of Don Lewis.
Sheriff Chad Chronister on Facebook composed"With everybody doing the right thing and staying in your home, many of you have watched the Netflix documentary #TigerKing. One facet of this documentary is correct, the disappearance of Don Lewis remains an active cold instance. Thus, with all the attention surrounding it, I guessed it was time to use the popularity of the show to see if anyone desired to develop fresh leads," and added,"Share this informative article, discuss it on your tales and timelines and let's see if we can not fix this situation together."
Back in 2002, he was announced dead on the fifth anniversary of the disappearance.
Career
Don Lewis was a self-made millionaire through his property and used car businesses. In 1955he graduated from Pasco High School, and from a young age, he was employed as a mechanic and a farmhand.
As of 2020, the case is still open but nobody has been detained or charged with a crime regarding the circumstance. Additional his disappearance was coated in the 2020 crime documentary show Tiger King, which focused on a feud involving Baskin and Oklahoma-based private zoo owner Joe Exotic.
Based on Baskin Don Lewis was stingy, throughout the time of his disappearance he was buying and selling distressed real estate and made an estimated $5.0 million when he disappeared. But he refused to pay her daughter's invoices and Baskin said he brought clothes from yard sales as well as proposed to Carole with a 14.00 cubic-zirconia wedding ring.
Lewis possessed several planes and was known to sometimes fly even though his private pilot license was suspended. Lewis left holdings estimated at more than $5 million, also leading to a legal dispute involving Baskin and Lewis's children
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Netflix documentary show Tiger King became popular. Since the release of this show, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has obtained six tips a day associated with Lewis's disappearance.
Wife
His first wife was Gladys Lewis Cross and they had three daughters and an adopted boy. During this time he was 17 and she was 14.
Afterwards, he met Carole Murdock on Nebraska Avenue in Tampa, on a night after she fled her house after being assaulted by her abusive first husband, Michael Murdock.
Ever since then they started having an affair while the two were married and Carole became one of his many girlfriends and considerably grew his wealth by helping him purchase and sell real estate in 1984.
In the meantime, Lewis and Murdock divorced each of the spouses and married in 1991.
Carole Baskin along with her former Husband Mike Murdock had a girl, Jamie Veronica Murdock.
In July 1997, Lewis filed a request for a restraining order against his spouse, claiming she'd threatened to kill him and had concealed his gun to stop him from protecting himself but this petition was refused.
She wrote"Don wasn't easy to live together and enjoy most couples, we had our moments. However, I never threatened him and I definitely had nothing to do with his disappearance. When he vanished, I did everything I could to help law enforcement. I encouraged them to check out the rumors out of Costa Rica, and individually I hired a detective "
Later, she added,"After the directors of the Netflix documentary Tiger King came to us five years ago they said they wanted to make the big cat version of Blackfish (the documentary that exposed abuse at SeaWorld) that could expose the distress due to the uncontrolled breeding of major cat cubs for cub petting exploitation and the dreadful life the cats cause roadside zoos and rear yards if they survive."
Presently, Don Lewis's family is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the whereabouts of the 60-year-old Don Lewis. Lewis's youngest daughter, Gale Rathbone stated"We're asking that anybody with essential information come forward so that progress can be made on this case," and"I still to this day miss my dad. I love my daddy. For 23 decades, I've gone to bed every night knowing that the only prospect of seeing him is in my fantasies. I am hoping that someday we -- and you too -- will know the truth and know what will happen to him."