Tiger King star Carole Baskin refuses police requests to talk about missing spouse

A detective in Florida investigating the disappearance of Carole Baskin's second husband said Thursday that the "Tiger King" star had three times refused requests for interviews, and that the probe was ongoing.

Corporal Moises Garcia of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in Tampa held a news conference to provide an update on the investigation into Don Lewis' disappearance.

The case was reopened following the March 2020 release of "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," a Netflix documentary series which became a huge hit during the pandemic.

Lewis was a Tampa millionaire who vanished in 1997, leaving Baskin with dozens of big cats at their animal sanctuary. The series launched rumors about how Lewis disappeared, including conjecture that he was buried in a septic tank on the sanctuary's property or living in Costa Rica.

Carole Baskin, founder of Big Cat Rescue, walks the property near Tampa, Florida. Photo / Loren Elliott, Tampa Bay Times via AP, File.

The detective said he and his investigators had conducted 50 interviews and followed up on 200 leads.

When asked about the Costa Rica rumor, Garcia refused to comment, but he said federal agents had run down leads in the Central American country. Getting a search warrant for the animal sanctuary to follow up on the septic tank rumour would require probable cause, either evidence showing something happened on the property or a witness who could testify to that effect, he said.

Louis Theroux with Tiger King star and animal park owner Carole Baskin in his documentary Louis Theroux: Shooting Joe Exotic. Photo / TVNZ OnDemand, File

Besides Baskin, a former handyman at the sanctuary, Kenny Farr, also "didn't interview with us," the detective said.

It's unusual for a spouse or relative to refuse to cooperate when a family member goes missing, and Baskin is a person of interest, though others are too, Garcia said.

Baskin recently sued Netflix and a production company to try to prevent the use of interviews and footage involving her in the "Tiger King" sequel, which was released Wednesday.

Tiger King star Joe Exotic on the show that has everything: cuddly animals, wild animals, dodgy millionaires, missing persons, and murder plots. Photo / Netflix, File

Netflix countered that Baskin and her husband agreed in writing that the material could be used in the future and that she is trying to block the company's First Amendment right to free speech.

Garcia said he is confident Lewis' disappearance will be solved.

"If you ask a homicide detective if he can solve a case, and he says no, you should take away his badge," he said. - AP