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[Antle] What a story.
2
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It's so wild, it must not be true.
3
00:00:19,227 --> 00:00:22,981
That's the first thing people think:
"Oh, come on, that can't be true.
4
00:00:23,064 --> 00:00:27,694
It's 20 years ago. Cold case,
20-year-old murders don't get solved."
5
00:00:29,946 --> 00:00:33,575
Well, it all starts, you know...
Carole Baskin,
6
00:00:33,658 --> 00:00:37,120
who was Carole Lewis at the time,
was married to Don Lewis.
7
00:00:37,203 --> 00:00:39,330
[lions murmuring]
8
00:00:39,414 --> 00:00:42,542
I did see Don Lewis
about maybe a month or so
9
00:00:42,625 --> 00:00:44,836
before he disappeared.
10
00:00:46,254 --> 00:00:49,507
And he did mention to me
that he felt his life was in danger.
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[man] There are so many strange twists
in that story,
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00:00:55,055 --> 00:00:56,598
you would have to write books
13
00:00:56,681 --> 00:01:00,310
and volumes of the stuff that went wrong
there, the lies that are there.
14
00:01:01,352 --> 00:01:04,773
All the circumstantial evidence,
somebody did something to Don.
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00:01:09,652 --> 00:01:13,073
There's a lot of stories
about Carole having some finger in it...
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but nobody can prove it.
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00:01:33,134 --> 00:01:35,804
[Carole] I really believe
that everything happens for a reason.
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00:01:36,346 --> 00:01:39,224
Everything is unfolding
the way that it has to
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for us to become
our highest possible self.
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I don't regret any
of what I have lived through.
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I wouldn't be standing here today
doing what I'm doing
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if it hadn't been
for all of those... things
23
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that have happened
over the course of my life.
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[visitors chatting indistinctly]
25
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[woman] The last day that I saw Don,
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he told me that he was done,
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that he was divorcing her,
28
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that she was one of the worst people
he had ever met in his life,
29
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and she was very dangerous.
30
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He did come to Mom
and say for us to stay away from her.
31
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He was afraid of her.
We didn't know exactly why.
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He indicated to me
that he was going to tell Carole...
33
00:02:32,819 --> 00:02:34,904
that he wanted a divorce.
34
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Never saw him again.
35
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[officer] I was the supervisor
in charge of the homicide section
36
00:02:49,294 --> 00:02:52,172
with the Hillsborough County
Sheriff's Office in Tampa, Florida,
37
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which also works adult missing persons.
38
00:02:57,927 --> 00:03:02,891
In the case of Don Lewis, the call came in
as a typical missing adult.
39
00:03:05,351 --> 00:03:07,770
Initially on
a missing person investigation,
40
00:03:07,854 --> 00:03:09,856
you just think,
"Well, things are gonna work out.
41
00:03:09,939 --> 00:03:12,483
Maybe this guy just went somewhere
and didn't touch base."
42
00:03:15,028 --> 00:03:17,989
However, I would say
within the first week or two
43
00:03:18,072 --> 00:03:20,575
that detectives were starting
to look at the possibility
44
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that we had... foul play or something
45
00:03:24,245 --> 00:03:26,456
that was unexplainable
at that point in time.
46
00:03:27,332 --> 00:03:30,501
It pays to have buckets with straw in it,
so they can't get out.
47
00:03:32,503 --> 00:03:34,589
We've got four kitties we're gonna feed.
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00:03:34,964 --> 00:03:38,134
[Carole] I met Don in January of 1981,
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so I was 20 when I met him.
50
00:03:39,928 --> 00:03:41,679
- Um...
- And he was how old?
51
00:03:42,347 --> 00:03:44,265
He was 22 years my senior.
52
00:03:44,349 --> 00:03:45,391
- Okay.
- So he was 42.
53
00:03:45,975 --> 00:03:47,352
Yeah, she's just jealous.
54
00:03:48,519 --> 00:03:51,648
You have to understand
that Don Lewis was married with kids,
55
00:03:52,023 --> 00:03:55,860
but apparently, he was coming down,
I think it was Nebraska...
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00:03:58,071 --> 00:04:02,450
and late one night he seen this young girl
walking down the street crying,
57
00:04:02,533 --> 00:04:05,245
and Don Lewis stopped to see
if he could help her.
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00:04:05,328 --> 00:04:08,665
[Carole] I had been in a fight
with my first husband.
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00:04:09,999 --> 00:04:13,336
I actually had to throw a potato
across the kitchen
60
00:04:13,419 --> 00:04:16,256
and into the dining room at him
in order to get out the door.
61
00:04:17,173 --> 00:04:19,467
I deal with stress
I think the same way cats do.
62
00:04:19,550 --> 00:04:21,970
I just pace and pace and pace and pace.
63
00:04:22,053 --> 00:04:24,847
And I remember Don pulls around,
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and he asks me if I would get in the car,
and I told him no.
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00:04:28,810 --> 00:04:30,996
Pulls around again,
and I think it was on the third time
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00:04:31,020 --> 00:04:34,482
he pulled around, and he had a gun
sitting on the front seat of his car.
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00:04:35,733 --> 00:04:37,986
And he said,
"You can hold this gun on me,
68
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I just need somebody to talk to."
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00:04:40,113 --> 00:04:42,824
So I picked up the gun, held it on him,
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00:04:42,907 --> 00:04:44,659
and we drove around town and he talked.
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00:04:48,121 --> 00:04:50,540
And I ended up
spending the night with him.
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00:04:52,917 --> 00:04:55,753
[Yates] Don Lewis deserted, basically,
his wife and kids
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00:04:55,837 --> 00:04:58,798
because he was in love
with the younger blonde woman...
74
00:04:59,424 --> 00:05:00,633
known as Carole.
75
00:05:02,051 --> 00:05:04,679
[Lewis Cross]
He told me that he had met her.
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00:05:05,722 --> 00:05:10,518
I was speechless. I adored him.
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00:05:11,811 --> 00:05:14,355
I told him that I'd love him
till the day I died,
78
00:05:14,856 --> 00:05:16,566
but it was over.
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00:05:18,735 --> 00:05:20,403
He used to call her angel,
80
00:05:21,154 --> 00:05:23,531
and I said, "Well,
81
00:05:24,449 --> 00:05:27,994
she's an angel sent straight from hell,
and one day, you'll find out."
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00:05:38,254 --> 00:05:42,133
[woman] At first it seemed like
they were really gonna make it.
83
00:05:42,216 --> 00:05:43,217
I liked Carole.
84
00:05:43,426 --> 00:05:44,426
I mean...
85
00:05:44,844 --> 00:05:46,763
I really, really did like Carole,
86
00:05:46,846 --> 00:05:47,846
but...
87
00:05:48,723 --> 00:05:51,476
[sighs] Don was not an easy man.
88
00:05:52,018 --> 00:05:55,855
Don was a millionaire,
he was a multi-millionaire, okay?
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And he didn't like her spending his money.
90
00:05:58,608 --> 00:06:00,276
She was very ambitious.
91
00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:02,528
She wanted to go somewhere
and be somebody,
92
00:06:02,612 --> 00:06:05,573
and she didn't want to stay
walking down the street
93
00:06:05,656 --> 00:06:07,033
in the middle of the night.
94
00:06:07,825 --> 00:06:09,243
I've got her diary.
95
00:06:09,369 --> 00:06:10,578
I've got it all.
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00:06:11,829 --> 00:06:12,997
Good evening, world!
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00:06:13,331 --> 00:06:16,167
Welcome to saga six of the Carole story.
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00:06:16,834 --> 00:06:17,919
Okay, well, tonight
99
00:06:18,336 --> 00:06:20,922
we just happened to have gotten
in the mail today...
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00:06:22,382 --> 00:06:23,800
Carole's diary.
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00:06:23,883 --> 00:06:27,929
"He said he wanted to be loved
for the man he was inside,
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00:06:28,012 --> 00:06:30,348
and if women knew how rich he was,
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he would never know if they loved him
for him or his money."
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[McQueen] Don started out with nothing.
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00:06:38,564 --> 00:06:40,316
You could not have looked at Don
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00:06:40,733 --> 00:06:42,485
and even had an inkling
107
00:06:42,568 --> 00:06:45,571
that he had amassed the wealth
that he had.
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00:06:47,824 --> 00:06:50,034
[man] You never saw Don dressed up.
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00:06:50,118 --> 00:06:51,994
He had his blue jeans and his t-shirt...
110
00:06:53,538 --> 00:06:56,416
but he carried a 500-dollar-bill around
in his pocket...
111
00:06:57,083 --> 00:06:59,001
just because he could.
112
00:07:01,379 --> 00:07:03,423
We said he had a green thumb,
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a green thumb for money,
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00:07:05,091 --> 00:07:07,844
because anything he touched,
practically...
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00:07:08,553 --> 00:07:09,846
he made money on.
116
00:07:12,223 --> 00:07:15,685
I worked for Don Lewis for ten, 15 years,
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00:07:15,768 --> 00:07:17,437
but knew him much longer than that.
118
00:07:18,855 --> 00:07:21,315
And you'd have to know Don
to know his properties.
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He liked to hide his stuff.
Like, he would hide money, bury money.
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00:07:26,195 --> 00:07:29,031
You know, hide gold bars,
bury the gold bars.
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00:07:29,115 --> 00:07:31,409
Don Lewis didn't want people knowing
what he had
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00:07:31,492 --> 00:07:32,743
and what he was worth,
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00:07:32,827 --> 00:07:36,038
but I'm gonna say
Don Lewis was probably worth, um...
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00:07:37,123 --> 00:07:39,500
20 million? Maybe a little more.
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00:07:39,625 --> 00:07:44,130
I think it was closer to...
seven to seven and a half million dollars,
126
00:07:44,213 --> 00:07:45,214
is what he was worth.
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00:07:45,298 --> 00:07:46,507
I don't think anybody knew,
128
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but I know at least five million,
if not ten million.
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00:07:49,927 --> 00:07:51,053
I knew him as his lawyer,
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00:07:51,137 --> 00:07:52,472
I knew what he was doing,
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I knew a lot of what he was doing.
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[Lewis Cross]
Don had money when he met Carole.
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00:07:58,436 --> 00:08:00,521
Carole pretty much had nothing.
134
00:08:00,646 --> 00:08:02,064
He had something she didn't.
135
00:08:03,065 --> 00:08:05,735
Were you having fun? Were you having fun?
136
00:08:05,818 --> 00:08:07,570
[tiger yowls]
137
00:08:08,321 --> 00:08:12,074
[Carole] Growing up,
my parents were very plain folk.
138
00:08:12,158 --> 00:08:14,160
We usually lived in mobile homes.
139
00:08:21,042 --> 00:08:24,879
I never really got how poor we were
until I was a teenager.
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00:08:31,594 --> 00:08:34,889
I had been raped at knifepoint
by three men
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00:08:34,972 --> 00:08:37,808
that lived across the street from me
when I was 14.
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00:08:41,562 --> 00:08:44,690
In my family,
they were fundamental Christians
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00:08:44,774 --> 00:08:48,653
that believed if a woman was involved
in something like that,
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00:08:48,736 --> 00:08:50,988
she must have been asking for it
in some way.
145
00:08:52,823 --> 00:08:54,575
Well, I left home at the age of 15.
146
00:08:56,035 --> 00:08:59,580
I got married to Michael when I was 17.
147
00:09:00,289 --> 00:09:03,751
He was Jamie's father,
and he was extremely abusive...
148
00:09:04,544 --> 00:09:08,422
but the idea of leaving
and having to raise a child on my own
149
00:09:08,506 --> 00:09:09,674
was terrifying.
150
00:09:11,133 --> 00:09:14,095
I was 20 when I met Don,
151
00:09:14,512 --> 00:09:17,181
and 24 before I left my husband.
152
00:09:19,392 --> 00:09:22,019
Don had a fascination with animals,
153
00:09:22,103 --> 00:09:23,646
so we were a great team.
154
00:09:24,355 --> 00:09:26,857
[woman] He was
more of an animal collector, I think.
155
00:09:27,358 --> 00:09:28,859
He definitely liked the idea
156
00:09:28,943 --> 00:09:31,904
of having a lot of different kinds
of animals.
157
00:09:32,530 --> 00:09:33,364
[snarls]
158
00:09:33,531 --> 00:09:34,574
See?
159
00:09:34,740 --> 00:09:37,060
He gets along with the rest of the cats
real good out here,
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00:09:37,118 --> 00:09:38,661
though he just don't like people.
161
00:09:39,662 --> 00:09:41,455
[auctioneer speaking indistinctly]
162
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They started out
by going to the exotic animal auctions.
163
00:09:47,587 --> 00:09:49,755
We started in 1992
164
00:09:49,839 --> 00:09:51,048
with the purchase of a bobcat
165
00:09:51,132 --> 00:09:54,010
who was going to be killed by taxidermists
at an auction.
166
00:09:54,510 --> 00:09:58,598
The following year, we bought 56 bobcats
and lynx from a fur farm.
167
00:09:58,681 --> 00:10:00,850
The next year, 28 bobcats and lynx.
168
00:10:00,933 --> 00:10:03,311
The following year,
22 more bobcats and lynx.
169
00:10:03,394 --> 00:10:05,146
And by the time we did that,
170
00:10:05,229 --> 00:10:08,774
there were no more fur farms in the US
that were killing bobcats and lynx.
171
00:10:10,610 --> 00:10:13,946
[reporter]
It's called Wildlife on Easy Street.
172
00:10:15,573 --> 00:10:18,993
Guests tour the sanctuary,
take tons of pictures,
173
00:10:19,076 --> 00:10:20,536
and even help feed the cats.
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00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:24,040
[McCarthy]
When they started Wildlife on Easy Street,
175
00:10:24,915 --> 00:10:31,881
they bought, sold,
bred big cats for years.
176
00:10:31,964 --> 00:10:34,425
Now, I would like to remind you, Carole,
177
00:10:34,508 --> 00:10:37,470
that you are the one who spent
94,000 dollars
178
00:10:37,553 --> 00:10:40,306
to buy animals
to fill your so-called sanctuary.
179
00:10:40,389 --> 00:10:42,099
You still have them there
at your facility,
180
00:10:42,183 --> 00:10:45,728
you're still tagging them as rescues,
and you're still 'frauding the public.
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00:10:50,191 --> 00:10:52,071
[man] I believe
that I sold Don and Carole Lewis
182
00:10:52,151 --> 00:10:54,945
their very first tiger in 1995.
183
00:10:56,530 --> 00:10:59,575
They flew their private plane
up to Shelbyville,
184
00:11:00,451 --> 00:11:03,496
and that's how I met them,
and they seemed to be good people.
185
00:11:05,414 --> 00:11:07,291
Sold 'em Scrappy, was his name.
186
00:11:07,375 --> 00:11:09,627
He was an... excellent little tiger.
187
00:11:17,218 --> 00:11:21,013
This is the VHS that she made
back in the day.
188
00:11:21,097 --> 00:11:24,308
The last time I probably seen it was 1996.
189
00:11:24,392 --> 00:11:26,644
You'll get a kick out of it, I'm sure.
190
00:11:28,104 --> 00:11:30,564
[Carole]
Our names are Don and Carole Lewis.
191
00:11:30,815 --> 00:11:33,776
We have really enjoyed our exotics.
192
00:11:33,859 --> 00:11:38,155
Throughout this tape, we'll show you
how we take them from the mother,
193
00:11:38,698 --> 00:11:41,534
acclimate them
to social life with people...
194
00:11:41,617 --> 00:11:44,787
She had called me up
and asked about raising baby animals,
195
00:11:44,870 --> 00:11:47,206
said she was gonna do a "how to" video.
196
00:11:47,289 --> 00:11:49,529
[Carole] They have to be taken this young
from the mother
197
00:11:49,625 --> 00:11:52,628
in order to make
good quality pets from them.
198
00:11:53,421 --> 00:11:56,465
A lot of people don't believe
that it's right
199
00:11:56,590 --> 00:11:59,385
to raise up exotic animals as house pets.
200
00:11:59,969 --> 00:12:04,432
[Joe] You know, back in the early '90s,
she bred and sold cats.
201
00:12:04,515 --> 00:12:07,143
And... [chuckles] it's so funny,
202
00:12:07,226 --> 00:12:10,187
because the very people
that are against breeding
203
00:12:10,271 --> 00:12:12,064
used to do the same thing.
204
00:12:12,148 --> 00:12:14,028
[Carole]
I think you'll see throughout this tape
205
00:12:14,066 --> 00:12:15,985
that they are very happy...
206
00:12:17,319 --> 00:12:18,988
and they're so much fun!
207
00:12:21,490 --> 00:12:23,242
Okay, now we're gonna jump around
208
00:12:23,325 --> 00:12:25,085
because I'm sure
you don't want to hear about
209
00:12:25,161 --> 00:12:28,664
all the cats they bought,
all the kittens they bred,
210
00:12:28,748 --> 00:12:31,041
and how many died
because they didn't have any clue
211
00:12:31,125 --> 00:12:32,125
what they were doing.
212
00:12:34,336 --> 00:12:40,217
I think that Carole did start feeling bad
about selling the animals
213
00:12:40,301 --> 00:12:43,679
and maybe breeding them
and crossbreeding them.
214
00:12:46,182 --> 00:12:50,561
Carole wanted the animals
just to collect and love...
215
00:12:51,437 --> 00:12:53,647
and he looked at it more as a business.
216
00:12:56,942 --> 00:13:02,156
Don and I had differing feelings
about conservation and breeding.
217
00:13:02,323 --> 00:13:04,658
He loved cubs, he loved breeding cats.
218
00:13:05,242 --> 00:13:07,703
He would go down to Costa Rica
once a month,
219
00:13:07,787 --> 00:13:09,747
and every time he was in Costa Rica,
220
00:13:09,830 --> 00:13:11,081
I'd have the vet out here
221
00:13:11,165 --> 00:13:14,335
and I would neuter and spay as many cats
as fast as I could.
222
00:13:17,004 --> 00:13:19,590
The attraction for Don in Costa Rica
223
00:13:19,673 --> 00:13:21,425
was the lack of regulations, you know.
224
00:13:21,509 --> 00:13:25,888
If they could have the cats down there,
he would've been free to breed them.
225
00:13:25,971 --> 00:13:27,264
[Carole humming, singing]
226
00:13:27,348 --> 00:13:30,392
[man] Was that consistent
in what Carole wanted to do?
227
00:13:31,644 --> 00:13:34,480
Apparently, not.
They were arguing about it.
228
00:13:34,563 --> 00:13:36,899
She didn't want to take the cats
and go there.
229
00:13:37,900 --> 00:13:41,403
[Lewis Cross] That is when we learned
that they weren't getting along real good.
230
00:13:43,113 --> 00:13:46,033
He also had a girlfriend in Costa Rica...
231
00:13:47,535 --> 00:13:50,412
so I think one of their main problems was
232
00:13:50,955 --> 00:13:53,457
she couldn't be the only one in his life.
233
00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:58,087
[Sanchez] I think she thinks
she would be the one to change him.
234
00:13:58,671 --> 00:14:01,048
[Lewis Cross]
She thought she was pretty enough,
235
00:14:01,131 --> 00:14:04,927
young enough,
that she would be all he needed...
236
00:14:05,511 --> 00:14:07,888
and that was never going to happen.
237
00:14:10,224 --> 00:14:11,684
[man] Did he have other women?
238
00:14:12,393 --> 00:14:13,811
I suspected it.
239
00:14:13,894 --> 00:14:15,020
I never saw it in person,
240
00:14:15,104 --> 00:14:18,399
but I've heard enough to book...
to say that's probably true.
241
00:14:19,149 --> 00:14:20,734
[Lively] He liked ladies, I'm sure.
242
00:14:21,443 --> 00:14:24,822
I would see him with two
or three different ones, you know?
243
00:14:24,905 --> 00:14:25,905
[chuckles]
244
00:14:27,324 --> 00:14:31,287
[Lewis Cross] Don was 17 and I was 14
when we got married.
245
00:14:31,912 --> 00:14:35,624
My mom had to sign the papers
and so did his mother,
246
00:14:35,708 --> 00:14:37,376
because he was too young.
247
00:14:38,335 --> 00:14:39,335
Life was good.
248
00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:44,717
The only thing that went wrong was
when someone would call me and say,
249
00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:46,802
"I've seen Don with so and so."
250
00:14:46,886 --> 00:14:50,973
[Sanchez] That was a problem with him,
because he did have a roaming eye.
251
00:14:51,056 --> 00:14:53,559
There's names, you know: sexaholic.
252
00:14:54,935 --> 00:14:58,397
If my dad had anything,
that would have been it.
253
00:15:00,149 --> 00:15:02,776
"What is my sick need
that I'm trying to fill
254
00:15:02,860 --> 00:15:04,820
with this venomous man?
255
00:15:05,946 --> 00:15:08,198
I've asked forever,
but I still don't know.
256
00:15:09,783 --> 00:15:11,118
He's all I've ever known,
257
00:15:11,201 --> 00:15:13,287
and he's the only man I've ever loved.
258
00:15:13,370 --> 00:15:15,497
I hope Jamie never finds herself
259
00:15:15,581 --> 00:15:20,544
in such a sick
and perverted relationship."
260
00:15:22,838 --> 00:15:25,633
[McQueen] At the end,
I know there was talk of divorce.
261
00:15:27,051 --> 00:15:31,388
I think he was preparing his estate
and assets in a way
262
00:15:31,472 --> 00:15:35,059
that he could get a divorce
without losing everything,
263
00:15:35,142 --> 00:15:38,270
and I think he thought she was there...
264
00:15:38,729 --> 00:15:40,898
solely for the purpose
of getting his money.
265
00:15:41,482 --> 00:15:44,693
And that was
what he was trying to protect.
266
00:15:49,031 --> 00:15:51,867
[Farr] If Don Lewis had have gotten
a divorce with Carole...
267
00:15:53,035 --> 00:15:55,204
the way Don would have worked,
268
00:15:55,287 --> 00:15:57,539
she would have been left
with really nothing.
269
00:15:58,374 --> 00:15:59,625
She would have lost the cats,
270
00:15:59,708 --> 00:16:03,837
she would have lost everything
down to the house and a car.
271
00:16:03,921 --> 00:16:06,006
Would have been a devastating blow.
272
00:16:06,090 --> 00:16:09,468
Oh, yes, he's a good boy.
Yes, he's a good boy.
273
00:16:09,551 --> 00:16:12,846
[Joe] "I listened while he told me
that all of his money is his,
274
00:16:12,930 --> 00:16:18,018
and everything he earned by himself
and brought into this marriage by himself.
275
00:16:18,102 --> 00:16:20,521
I wish there was some way out for me."
276
00:16:20,604 --> 00:16:23,691
I'd say she found a way out, wouldn't you?
277
00:16:23,774 --> 00:16:28,362
- [indistinct chatter]
- [panther yowling]
278
00:16:33,450 --> 00:16:36,078
[McQueen]
Don started looking a little bit funny,
279
00:16:36,787 --> 00:16:38,414
and then one day he came in
280
00:16:38,497 --> 00:16:40,666
and he brought me a piece of paper.
281
00:16:41,041 --> 00:16:42,918
It was in an envelope, and he said,
282
00:16:43,002 --> 00:16:46,005
"Here, you need to take this home,
you need to keep it.
283
00:16:46,088 --> 00:16:48,966
If anything happens to me,
give it to the police."
284
00:16:49,758 --> 00:16:52,094
He'd given me a copy
of the restraining order
285
00:16:52,177 --> 00:16:53,220
that he had filed for.
286
00:16:56,932 --> 00:16:58,559
[Rathbone] "This is the second time
287
00:16:58,642 --> 00:17:02,479
Carole has gotten angry enough
to threaten to kill me."
288
00:17:03,731 --> 00:17:05,858
"Carole and I got into a big fuss,
289
00:17:05,941 --> 00:17:08,986
and she ordered me out of the house
or she would kill me.
290
00:17:09,737 --> 00:17:14,450
She has a .45 revolver
and she took my .357 and hid it."
291
00:17:18,996 --> 00:17:24,001
Daddy never really involved "the law"
in anything.
292
00:17:24,418 --> 00:17:26,920
Um, it was just something
that he resisted.
293
00:17:27,004 --> 00:17:29,631
For him to go down there
294
00:17:29,715 --> 00:17:32,926
and write that out
and present it before a judge
295
00:17:33,510 --> 00:17:35,721
- was major, in my eyes.
- [Lewis Cross] So wise.
296
00:17:35,804 --> 00:17:39,391
That is not something he would do
unless he was at his wits' end...
297
00:17:40,142 --> 00:17:41,518
with how to protect himself...
298
00:17:42,853 --> 00:17:44,938
but he was denied protection.
299
00:17:46,148 --> 00:17:48,442
It doesn't show stalking,
it doesn't show battery,
300
00:17:48,525 --> 00:17:49,610
it doesn't show anything.
301
00:17:49,693 --> 00:17:51,028
It shows a verbal argument,
302
00:17:51,320 --> 00:17:53,238
and that's not enough
to get an injunction.
303
00:17:53,530 --> 00:17:55,616
[man] And so that's why you think
it was denied?
304
00:17:55,699 --> 00:17:57,076
That's why I know it was denied.
305
00:17:57,367 --> 00:17:59,578
- But obviously...
- That was dead on arrival.
306
00:17:59,661 --> 00:18:02,498
What raises my eyebrows
is "she threatened to kill me."
307
00:18:02,581 --> 00:18:04,500
- That's not enough to get a...
- Nope.
308
00:18:04,583 --> 00:18:06,710
- a restraining order?
- There's free speech.
309
00:18:06,794 --> 00:18:09,088
We don't restrain free speech
in this country,
310
00:18:09,171 --> 00:18:10,631
we punish it after it's done.
311
00:18:11,924 --> 00:18:14,468
I'm sure in the judge's eyes
it was hearsay,
312
00:18:14,968 --> 00:18:18,388
but that happened in June,
and he disappeared in August.
313
00:18:28,649 --> 00:18:31,068
[reporter] A local millionaire vanishes
without a trace,
314
00:18:31,151 --> 00:18:32,986
but did he simply walk away?
315
00:18:33,070 --> 00:18:35,364
Or did something more ominous
happen to him?
316
00:18:35,781 --> 00:18:37,032
I never threatened him.
317
00:18:37,783 --> 00:18:40,744
[reporter 2] His wife, Carole Lewis,
says he was planning to transport cars
318
00:18:40,828 --> 00:18:41,995
to Costa Rica.
319
00:18:42,079 --> 00:18:44,373
He said to be sure
and get the Costa Rica truck ready
320
00:18:44,498 --> 00:18:47,584
'cause he was leaving early, early,
early in the morning for Miami...
321
00:18:48,544 --> 00:18:50,420
and that was the last thing
that he said to me.
322
00:18:50,504 --> 00:18:52,422
The last thing he said to me was
323
00:18:52,506 --> 00:18:54,925
that he needed me
to have Kenny get a truck ready
324
00:18:55,008 --> 00:18:59,805
because he was going early, early, early,
he said, the next day to Costa Rica...
325
00:19:01,723 --> 00:19:05,185
and that was the last I saw of him,
so I just don't know.
326
00:19:07,646 --> 00:19:09,481
[Farr] We was building this cage,
327
00:19:10,149 --> 00:19:12,818
and Don started to tell me something.
328
00:19:12,901 --> 00:19:15,904
He said, "Kenny, if I can pull this off,
329
00:19:15,988 --> 00:19:18,824
it will be the slickest thing
I ever did in my life."
330
00:19:21,243 --> 00:19:24,163
And I know
that there was more to follow...
331
00:19:24,830 --> 00:19:27,166
like he didn't finish
what he was saying...
332
00:19:28,625 --> 00:19:32,880
and he left with a phone call,
and he left out.
333
00:19:34,173 --> 00:19:35,966
I never got to see him again after that.
334
00:19:36,049 --> 00:19:38,289
That was the last thing
that Don Lewis ever said to me...
335
00:19:38,844 --> 00:19:40,554
was, "If I can pull this off,
336
00:19:40,637 --> 00:19:43,390
it will be the slickest thing
I ever did in my life."
337
00:19:45,058 --> 00:19:47,769
[McQueen] He was shipping some cars
down to Costa Rica.
338
00:19:48,478 --> 00:19:51,440
Everything had to be down in Miami
Monday morning...
339
00:19:52,608 --> 00:19:56,570
and I had to get all the titles
to the cars and stuff ready,
340
00:19:56,653 --> 00:19:59,156
but I needed him to tell me something.
341
00:19:59,573 --> 00:20:02,159
I kept waiting for him to call me.
He didn't call me.
342
00:20:02,242 --> 00:20:05,454
I started calling him.
Didn't answer the phone.
343
00:20:05,537 --> 00:20:06,663
He didn't answer the phone.
344
00:20:07,581 --> 00:20:11,168
This continued all through Saturday,
all through Sunday.
345
00:20:11,251 --> 00:20:12,669
I got no answer.
346
00:20:12,753 --> 00:20:14,671
[phone ringing]
347
00:20:14,755 --> 00:20:16,757
[McQueen] I finally got ahold of Carole.
348
00:20:17,758 --> 00:20:19,885
She says, "Do you think
I should call the police?"
349
00:20:20,344 --> 00:20:22,012
And I said, "Do you think?"
350
00:20:26,141 --> 00:20:30,896
[Marsicano] Jack Don Lewis was last seen
on August the 18th.
351
00:20:32,231 --> 00:20:35,651
He was reported missing on the 19th
by his wife
352
00:20:35,734 --> 00:20:37,361
at about 1:30 in the afternoon.
353
00:20:40,822 --> 00:20:44,159
The detectives walked the property
and drove the proper...
354
00:20:44,243 --> 00:20:45,827
Now, you're talking about 40 acres.
355
00:20:47,663 --> 00:20:49,665
Apparently there was nothing there
that suggested
356
00:20:49,748 --> 00:20:52,584
that they should pursue that area
any further.
357
00:20:54,044 --> 00:20:57,589
There were aerial searches done...
but found nothing.
358
00:21:01,426 --> 00:21:05,973
Then, after three or four days,
we found his van abandoned at an airport.
359
00:21:07,516 --> 00:21:11,645
With the keys still in it,
his briefcase in it, but no Don Lewis.
360
00:21:13,021 --> 00:21:14,398
[Farr] And it didn't make sense.
361
00:21:14,940 --> 00:21:17,025
Like, with what he said to me,
362
00:21:17,109 --> 00:21:20,153
if he was truly wanting to disappear
and nobody know where he was at,
363
00:21:20,237 --> 00:21:23,073
would you leave your van
where you got in a plane to take off?
364
00:21:23,156 --> 00:21:25,409
You wouldn't want nobody to know
you was in the plane,
365
00:21:25,492 --> 00:21:28,495
- because that's now a clue.
- [man] You think it was planted?
366
00:21:29,746 --> 00:21:31,957
I think someone else drove the van there.
367
00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:33,959
I don't know if it was planted there.
368
00:21:35,419 --> 00:21:37,546
[Farr] I think the police did
a horrible job...
369
00:21:38,171 --> 00:21:40,257
at the investigation side of it.
370
00:21:40,340 --> 00:21:43,302
The cops never looked at the van
when it was at the airport...
371
00:21:44,052 --> 00:21:46,972
and they let them bring that van
back to Easy Street.
372
00:21:47,055 --> 00:21:51,018
And it was there for a couple of days
before the cops came to look at the van.
373
00:21:51,226 --> 00:21:52,811
To even look in the van.
374
00:21:53,478 --> 00:21:55,105
A couple of days that van sat there.
375
00:22:06,116 --> 00:22:07,576
[Lively] They came and spoke with me
376
00:22:07,659 --> 00:22:10,412
because they found my fingerprints
inside of his van.
377
00:22:11,621 --> 00:22:13,415
Four days before he disappeared,
378
00:22:13,498 --> 00:22:16,209
he dropped his van off
for me to do some work to it,
379
00:22:16,543 --> 00:22:18,962
but he tried to talk me into
going to Costa Rica.
380
00:22:19,046 --> 00:22:21,214
He said, "Come on
and go to Costa Rica with me."
381
00:22:21,631 --> 00:22:23,633
[man] Why did he want to go
to Costa Rica so badly?
382
00:22:24,092 --> 00:22:25,886
He liked it down there.
383
00:22:29,973 --> 00:22:33,310
The long-term plan,
according to the investigation,
384
00:22:33,393 --> 00:22:38,106
was that he would eventually move
the Big Cat Rescue,
385
00:22:38,190 --> 00:22:41,318
or Wildlife on Easy Street
as it was known then,
386
00:22:41,401 --> 00:22:42,986
down to the Costa Rica area.
387
00:22:44,738 --> 00:22:47,741
We actually sent myself
and another detective
388
00:22:47,824 --> 00:22:50,077
and did multiple interviews
down in Costa Rica.
389
00:22:50,911 --> 00:22:53,872
We spent about four or five days
in the area
390
00:22:54,456 --> 00:22:57,250
to try and determine
if there was any link there at all.
391
00:22:58,460 --> 00:23:00,212
[man] And how would he get to Costa Rica?
392
00:23:01,213 --> 00:23:04,966
He flew commercial out of Miami.
393
00:23:05,467 --> 00:23:07,803
But Don did fly a lot of airplanes.
394
00:23:07,886 --> 00:23:10,806
He owned...
I don't know how many airplanes he owned.
395
00:23:13,725 --> 00:23:15,477
But all of his planes were small...
396
00:23:16,436 --> 00:23:19,064
and you could not fly those things
that far.
397
00:23:20,232 --> 00:23:23,068
It's impossible with the size
and types of planes that Don had,
398
00:23:23,151 --> 00:23:27,072
that I know of, that he could nonstop
go from here to Costa Rica.
399
00:23:27,155 --> 00:23:29,783
You'd have to make four fuel stops.
400
00:23:29,866 --> 00:23:31,410
It's just not in the cards.
401
00:23:32,619 --> 00:23:36,790
[Mariscano] I don't believe
that Jack Don Lewis flew to Costa Rica.
402
00:23:36,873 --> 00:23:42,045
There's nothing at all to indicate
that Don left his van there
403
00:23:42,129 --> 00:23:44,172
and got in a plane
and crashed it somewhere.
404
00:23:44,798 --> 00:23:48,593
There was no record of any take-off
of an airplane,
405
00:23:48,677 --> 00:23:51,680
there was no flight filed. Nothing.
406
00:23:54,349 --> 00:23:57,060
Don lost his pilot's license
the day after he got it,
407
00:23:57,144 --> 00:23:59,354
so he never flew legitimately again.
408
00:23:59,438 --> 00:24:02,232
Every flight he ever did after that,
and there were a lot of them,
409
00:24:02,441 --> 00:24:05,110
he was flying illegally,
so, no, he wasn't reporting.
410
00:24:06,153 --> 00:24:08,488
He would go down over the Gulf of Mexico,
411
00:24:08,572 --> 00:24:12,033
down underneath the level
where radar picks you up.
412
00:24:13,952 --> 00:24:16,079
[Fritz] My understanding was...
is he went to...
413
00:24:16,830 --> 00:24:19,374
evaluate some new plane that was for sale.
414
00:24:19,458 --> 00:24:22,919
I was told
that he was pushed out of the plane
415
00:24:23,003 --> 00:24:25,547
out of the door 50 feet over the Gulf,
way out.
416
00:24:26,840 --> 00:24:29,551
[Carole] If he had any kind of an accident
out over the Gulf,
417
00:24:29,634 --> 00:24:31,178
we never would have found anything.
418
00:24:36,850 --> 00:24:39,019
He had had several plane crashes
419
00:24:39,102 --> 00:24:42,230
and had really damaged himself
in one of them,
420
00:24:42,314 --> 00:24:45,942
and I don't think
he was ever completely right
421
00:24:46,026 --> 00:24:48,069
after that last crash.
422
00:24:50,113 --> 00:24:53,950
I was seeing behavior in him
that just didn't make any sense.
423
00:24:54,034 --> 00:24:57,621
Like, he could remember things
from way back when he was a kid,
424
00:24:57,704 --> 00:25:00,457
but he couldn't remember where he was
for the last five minutes.
425
00:25:00,540 --> 00:25:03,001
And one of our volunteers came to me
and said
426
00:25:03,084 --> 00:25:05,086
that that looked like Alzheimer's to him.
427
00:25:05,962 --> 00:25:07,714
Maybe he doesn't know who he is.
428
00:25:07,797 --> 00:25:09,674
Maybe he doesn't know where to call home.
429
00:25:13,261 --> 00:25:14,554
That's all bull.
430
00:25:15,514 --> 00:25:18,391
I don't believe a word about dementia
431
00:25:18,475 --> 00:25:21,520
or forgetfulness or any of that crap.
432
00:25:22,604 --> 00:25:24,773
No, no, no.
He knew exactly what was going on.
433
00:25:24,856 --> 00:25:26,976
Who, what, where, when, how, why,
he knew all of that.
434
00:25:27,025 --> 00:25:28,235
That's not a problem.
435
00:25:28,318 --> 00:25:30,570
[reporter]
Carole says he was an unusual man.
436
00:25:31,404 --> 00:25:33,240
Eccentric is a good word to use.
437
00:25:33,865 --> 00:25:34,950
[Williams] Carole's smart.
438
00:25:35,325 --> 00:25:37,077
She's setting the stage for...
439
00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:40,413
"He just up and disappeared,
and we don't know what the hell happened."
440
00:25:40,997 --> 00:25:44,292
She spent, I'm sure,
a lot of time setting the stage
441
00:25:44,376 --> 00:25:47,087
for the dementia and the forgetfulness.
442
00:25:47,170 --> 00:25:50,340
[reporter] According to diary entries
allegedly written by Carole,
443
00:25:50,465 --> 00:25:53,802
she was feeling boxed in
by Don's notorious cheating.
444
00:25:54,094 --> 00:25:55,637
[Williams] "It's no use to leave him."
445
00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:57,764
"I wish there was some way out for me."
446
00:25:57,847 --> 00:25:59,516
[reporter] Police combed the area.
447
00:25:59,599 --> 00:26:02,602
But after a year and a half
of investigating numerous theories,
448
00:26:02,686 --> 00:26:04,437
police still have no suspects.
449
00:26:06,189 --> 00:26:08,942
[Fritz] Somebody, sometime,
someplace, somewhere, somehow,
450
00:26:09,025 --> 00:26:11,278
wanted to be rid of Don Lewis.
451
00:26:13,530 --> 00:26:15,407
And apparently, they got their way.
452
00:26:15,490 --> 00:26:18,785
My understanding was that he was killed.
453
00:26:20,078 --> 00:26:21,078
[man] By?
454
00:26:25,333 --> 00:26:26,585
Won't go there.
455
00:26:27,752 --> 00:26:29,754
[growling]
456
00:26:36,678 --> 00:26:38,138
[man] I need my clapper!
457
00:26:38,221 --> 00:26:40,265
I need my clapper, Mark,
what are you doing?
458
00:26:40,599 --> 00:26:42,880
[cameraman] Go in front of the camera
and say, "Take two!"
459
00:26:43,393 --> 00:26:44,394
[man] Take two.
460
00:26:45,145 --> 00:26:48,773
♪ Everything was fine
Just as sweet as wine ♪
461
00:26:48,857 --> 00:26:52,986
♪ But her husband went and disappeared ♪
462
00:26:54,738 --> 00:26:58,908
♪ But then it got a little crazy
It got a little hazy ♪
463
00:26:58,992 --> 00:27:03,038
♪ And the cops said
There's something wrong here ♪
464
00:27:04,497 --> 00:27:07,167
♪ Oh, here, kitty kitty ♪
465
00:27:08,084 --> 00:27:10,503
The best thing he's done,
it's worth just bringing up:
466
00:27:10,587 --> 00:27:14,174
the music video, "Here Kitty Kitty,"
about Carole killing her husband.
467
00:27:14,799 --> 00:27:17,302
And a look-alike Carole
walking along with him
468
00:27:17,385 --> 00:27:20,138
while he's singing,
feeding body parts to her cats.
469
00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:23,433
He's got extreme shit.
470
00:27:23,516 --> 00:27:26,356
You haven't seen "Here Kitty Kitty,"
you don't know what you're missing.
471
00:27:27,437 --> 00:27:30,982
[Kirkham] Joe had everyone convinced
she'd murdered her husband,
472
00:27:31,066 --> 00:27:33,985
and we were all going with it.
And me, as a reality show producer?
473
00:27:34,069 --> 00:27:37,405
Oh, I was... "Fuck yeah, man,
roll the cameras," you know?
474
00:27:37,489 --> 00:27:39,199
So the whole world's wondering,
475
00:27:39,282 --> 00:27:40,992
did you actually grind your husband up
476
00:27:41,368 --> 00:27:43,453
and feed him to the tigers
so there's no evidence?
477
00:27:44,245 --> 00:27:45,747
I'm gonna show you some stuff
478
00:27:46,122 --> 00:27:48,083
that will put that right in your head.
479
00:27:48,166 --> 00:27:50,835
♪ But you can't prosecute
There's just no use ♪
480
00:27:50,919 --> 00:27:56,007
♪ There's nothing left but tiger tracks ♪
481
00:27:58,051 --> 00:28:02,222
People want to believe something
that's just totally outlandish,
482
00:28:02,305 --> 00:28:04,849
and so it has been a problem.
483
00:28:05,517 --> 00:28:06,517
[snarls]
484
00:28:07,310 --> 00:28:10,647
[Joe]
These tigers have such an acidic stomach
485
00:28:11,147 --> 00:28:14,150
that when you feed them a whole turkey,
486
00:28:14,234 --> 00:28:18,113
there's no bones that come out, okay?
It's gone.
487
00:28:18,196 --> 00:28:21,116
[lions murmuring]
488
00:28:21,199 --> 00:28:23,759
[man] Is there any chance
Don had been killed by one of his cats?
489
00:28:23,785 --> 00:28:25,078
- No.
- Why?
490
00:28:25,870 --> 00:28:26,955
Didn't happen.
491
00:28:27,038 --> 00:28:30,542
There'd be a body, there'd be blood,
there'd be this, there'd be that.
492
00:28:30,625 --> 00:28:35,338
No. There wasn't a cat out there
that could eat 100 pounds of flesh.
493
00:28:36,756 --> 00:28:39,426
There'd be a skeleton. There'd be bones.
There'd be something.
494
00:28:40,176 --> 00:28:45,014
His own kids demanded
that they DNA test the meat grinder.
495
00:28:47,308 --> 00:28:49,102
Sheriff's office wouldn't do it.
496
00:28:49,853 --> 00:28:51,312
We had a meat grinder.
497
00:28:51,396 --> 00:28:53,565
If you've ever seen
a Butcher Boy meat grinder,
498
00:28:53,648 --> 00:28:55,233
it's about that big around.
499
00:28:55,316 --> 00:28:58,778
That became, like,
this wholly exciting thing,
500
00:28:58,862 --> 00:29:01,364
that I ran him through that grinder,
and it's like,
501
00:29:01,698 --> 00:29:05,118
I couldn't have run his hand
through the grinder, much less a body.
502
00:29:08,413 --> 00:29:11,332
I mean, there's another theory
that one of the buildings they built,
503
00:29:11,416 --> 00:29:14,586
there's a septic tank underneath it...
that he was put in that.
504
00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:19,424
[Joe] If we could ever get the law
to go in there
505
00:29:19,507 --> 00:29:21,134
and dig up that septic tank,
506
00:29:21,217 --> 00:29:23,678
I promise you
he's underneath that damn thing.
507
00:29:24,262 --> 00:29:27,390
[Joe]
Hey, Carole, it's a voice from your past.
508
00:29:28,057 --> 00:29:31,102
Get me the fuck out
from under the septic tank.
509
00:29:32,061 --> 00:29:34,856
It was in the ground, it was operational,
510
00:29:34,939 --> 00:29:37,817
Judy had moved into the property
before Don ever disappeared,
511
00:29:37,901 --> 00:29:40,737
so how would I have then
put him in the septic tank?
512
00:29:46,075 --> 00:29:48,661
I believe
that there's a lot of people out there
513
00:29:48,745 --> 00:29:51,998
that are speculating
and don't have anything to back it up.
514
00:29:52,582 --> 00:29:54,959
One day, somebody's gonna stub their toe.
515
00:29:56,169 --> 00:29:57,295
There is a god...
516
00:29:58,046 --> 00:29:59,422
her name is karma,
517
00:29:59,547 --> 00:30:01,007
and she has a sick sense of humor.
518
00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:07,555
[Mariscano]
Yeah, we heard all the stories.
519
00:30:08,389 --> 00:30:13,228
We've done everything we could do
in terms of trying to put those to rest,
520
00:30:13,311 --> 00:30:15,313
but sometimes legally, there...
521
00:30:15,396 --> 00:30:17,649
You can't pursue exactly
what you'd like to do.
522
00:30:17,732 --> 00:30:19,532
You have to stay within the bounds
of the law.
523
00:30:21,945 --> 00:30:25,657
Anybody could be a suspect.
Now, having said that,
524
00:30:25,824 --> 00:30:27,784
clearly the most information
that we're gonna get
525
00:30:27,867 --> 00:30:30,745
are the people that were closest to Don,
so that's where we've looked.
526
00:30:31,621 --> 00:30:35,625
[Fritz] Anne McQueen was probably
the closest person alive to Don Lewis.
527
00:30:35,834 --> 00:30:38,795
She watched out for his best interests,
he watched her back.
528
00:30:39,254 --> 00:30:43,258
Don trusted Anne with every penny he had.
529
00:30:43,341 --> 00:30:45,218
He would've been lost without her.
530
00:30:46,594 --> 00:30:52,559
I cooperated in every form and fashion
that they wanted me to cooperate.
531
00:30:53,017 --> 00:30:54,727
[man] Who were the other suspects?
532
00:30:54,811 --> 00:30:56,145
I think it was me and Carole.
533
00:30:58,898 --> 00:31:02,652
[Mariscano] In any investigation
like this, you go to...
534
00:31:03,403 --> 00:31:05,572
the husband or the wife
535
00:31:05,655 --> 00:31:09,826
or whatever close family member
that is still surviving
536
00:31:09,909 --> 00:31:11,911
or still around that you can interview.
537
00:31:14,080 --> 00:31:16,800
[Williams] Carole's brother was a member
of the sheriff's department,
538
00:31:17,417 --> 00:31:19,961
and I think he maintained
539
00:31:20,044 --> 00:31:21,754
some sort of, well, you know...
540
00:31:21,838 --> 00:31:24,924
"That's my sister,
I want you to tread lightly."
541
00:31:25,008 --> 00:31:27,719
And I don't know that happened, but...
542
00:31:30,722 --> 00:31:32,932
I'm sure he wouldn't just stand there
and do nothing.
543
00:31:33,016 --> 00:31:34,896
Her brother worked
for the sheriff's department,
544
00:31:34,934 --> 00:31:39,272
but I don't think... I don't think
that there was collusion there.
545
00:31:43,902 --> 00:31:46,362
[Carole]
I never really knew my brother, because...
546
00:31:46,946 --> 00:31:50,867
Fosh, by the time I was 15,
he would have been, what, nine.
547
00:31:52,744 --> 00:31:55,038
So we never had much of a relationship.
548
00:31:55,246 --> 00:31:57,874
It's funny,
he grew up to be a sheriff's deputy,
549
00:31:57,957 --> 00:32:00,757
which was the last thing I ever thought
my brother would grow up to be,
550
00:32:00,793 --> 00:32:03,296
because he was so shy.
551
00:32:04,130 --> 00:32:06,090
[Mariscano]
The day that Don went missing...
552
00:32:07,091 --> 00:32:12,722
the investigation indicated
Carole had left Wildlife on Easy Street
553
00:32:12,805 --> 00:32:16,517
to drive to a nearby store
named Albertsons
554
00:32:16,601 --> 00:32:18,937
to pick up some milk byproducts
for the cats.
555
00:32:19,020 --> 00:32:20,480
At three o'clock in the morning.
556
00:32:21,648 --> 00:32:25,944
Her car broke down,
and Carole ran into her brother,
557
00:32:26,027 --> 00:32:28,863
who was accompanied by another deputy.
558
00:32:28,947 --> 00:32:34,243
The second deputy gave her a ride
back to her home.
559
00:32:34,953 --> 00:32:36,079
After that,
560
00:32:36,871 --> 00:32:40,291
Carole indicated the last time
that she saw her husband
561
00:32:40,375 --> 00:32:44,045
was just several hours later,
and he was never seen again.
562
00:32:44,629 --> 00:32:46,339
And I don't know, but I would have hoped
563
00:32:46,422 --> 00:32:49,050
that the detectives would have
pursued that and made sure that...
564
00:32:49,759 --> 00:32:53,388
there was nothing...
out of the ordinary about that.
565
00:32:55,848 --> 00:32:58,518
Maybe if you have a sheriff
that's in there that's saying,
566
00:32:58,601 --> 00:33:02,939
you know, this guy is kinda crazy
and, you know, dementia,
567
00:33:03,022 --> 00:33:04,959
and he does this all the time,
he's probably in...
568
00:33:04,983 --> 00:33:08,045
Maybe the sheriff's department would drag
their feet at that point and be like,
569
00:33:08,069 --> 00:33:10,029
"Well, let's just wait and see
where it goes."
570
00:33:13,741 --> 00:33:17,870
In her family,
there just wasn't a lot of love for Don.
571
00:33:19,122 --> 00:33:22,875
I know her father, Carole's father,
Vernon, could not stand him.
572
00:33:22,959 --> 00:33:24,836
Absolutely could not stand Don.
573
00:33:25,294 --> 00:33:28,673
[Farr] So, Carole's dad, Vernon,
come and built cages with me.
574
00:33:30,174 --> 00:33:31,759
He definitely had his daughter's back.
575
00:33:32,343 --> 00:33:37,598
I just felt like Carole did something,
and they needed to protect her...
576
00:33:38,099 --> 00:33:40,852
and get the money. Let's get the money.
577
00:33:42,937 --> 00:33:46,441
[Farr] After Don disappeared, Carole
and Vernon, her dad, had asked me...
578
00:33:47,942 --> 00:33:50,695
"Kenny, we need to get something
from the office."
579
00:33:52,613 --> 00:33:54,782
And I'd like to say,
I had did this kind of stuff
580
00:33:54,866 --> 00:33:56,993
for Don Lewis for years.
581
00:33:57,076 --> 00:33:59,276
When he needed something done,
I would go do it for him.
582
00:34:02,749 --> 00:34:07,128
I got a phone call stating
that the office alarm had gone off,
583
00:34:07,211 --> 00:34:09,005
and Carole was there.
584
00:34:09,088 --> 00:34:13,718
Her and Kenny Farr had cut the locks
on the gate,
585
00:34:14,093 --> 00:34:16,095
cut the locks on the office.
586
00:34:16,929 --> 00:34:21,392
Cut the power to the trailer,
cut the water, cut the sewer.
587
00:34:21,476 --> 00:34:23,478
The cops came because the alarm went off.
588
00:34:23,561 --> 00:34:27,482
Anne McQueen come up
because that was her office,
589
00:34:27,565 --> 00:34:29,358
know what I mean?
She's been here for years.
590
00:34:29,442 --> 00:34:33,488
There were two wills,
and there were two power of attorney
591
00:34:34,030 --> 00:34:37,533
in my office in a box underneath my desk.
592
00:34:37,617 --> 00:34:41,412
But whatever paperwork
or whatever they needed,
593
00:34:41,496 --> 00:34:45,416
there was nothing...
that the cops could do
594
00:34:45,500 --> 00:34:48,669
to stop the wife taking anything.
595
00:34:50,046 --> 00:34:51,806
[McQueen] The will
and the power of attorney,
596
00:34:51,839 --> 00:34:53,925
they were all taken out of the office
that day.
597
00:34:58,054 --> 00:35:01,599
I was executor for both of their wills.
598
00:35:02,475 --> 00:35:05,394
I was the power of attorney
for both of them.
599
00:35:06,979 --> 00:35:10,233
[man] Who was the power of attorney
on the new documents Carole produced?
600
00:35:11,651 --> 00:35:12,651
Not me.
601
00:35:14,737 --> 00:35:18,658
That new power of attorney
gave her control over the estate.
602
00:35:19,951 --> 00:35:22,995
[Joe] But she prepared
his power of attorney.
603
00:35:25,832 --> 00:35:28,793
A normal person would put
"Upon my death," you know.
604
00:35:29,460 --> 00:35:31,712
First sentence, "Upon my disappearance."
605
00:35:33,214 --> 00:35:37,510
[man] Isn't it suspicious that the power
of attorney says, "Upon my disappearance"?
606
00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:39,220
Is that normal verbiage?
607
00:35:39,846 --> 00:35:45,309
I have, in 37 years,
never seen it say, "Or disappearance."
608
00:35:45,935 --> 00:35:46,935
Never have.
609
00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:50,356
Um, in that respect,
this is terribly unusual.
610
00:35:50,857 --> 00:35:52,775
I don't know who anticipates...
611
00:35:52,859 --> 00:35:54,318
Everybody anticipates their death,
612
00:35:54,402 --> 00:35:57,071
but who in the world
anticipates disappearance?
613
00:35:59,448 --> 00:36:03,161
[man] And how did Carole behave
in the aftermath of his disappearance?
614
00:36:03,578 --> 00:36:05,538
[Farr] After Don disappeared,
615
00:36:05,621 --> 00:36:10,001
Carole and her family got rid of
everybody that worked for Don.
616
00:36:11,127 --> 00:36:15,882
They got rid of everything...
that he owned.
617
00:36:18,050 --> 00:36:21,095
[Rathbone] There was a note pinned
to the refrigerator door that said,
618
00:36:21,179 --> 00:36:24,473
"Never speak that man's name again
in this house."
619
00:36:26,601 --> 00:36:28,394
Do you remember that,
Donna telling us that?
620
00:36:28,477 --> 00:36:30,037
- I forgot.
- I remember that very well.
621
00:36:34,734 --> 00:36:36,569
[man] But then what about
all of Don's assets?
622
00:36:36,652 --> 00:36:38,196
Not the insurance policy. Was there...
623
00:36:38,279 --> 00:36:39,614
I had nothing to do with that.
624
00:36:39,697 --> 00:36:41,699
[man] All his real estate,
all of his holdings?
625
00:36:42,533 --> 00:36:43,993
All went under his will, didn't it?
626
00:36:44,702 --> 00:36:48,706
The will wouldn't have come into play
because if you disappear,
627
00:36:49,248 --> 00:36:52,376
you can't do anything for five years.
628
00:36:54,420 --> 00:36:57,882
So Carole had him declared legally dead
629
00:36:58,633 --> 00:37:01,135
five years and one day
after he disappeared.
630
00:37:04,513 --> 00:37:05,953
[man] Here's the latest on the case.
631
00:37:06,015 --> 00:37:08,643
A judge has just declared Lewis dead
632
00:37:08,726 --> 00:37:10,186
since he's been missing five years,
633
00:37:10,269 --> 00:37:12,069
but Hillsborough County
Sheriff's deputies say
634
00:37:12,146 --> 00:37:15,650
they will keep the case open
until they have proof.
635
00:37:19,237 --> 00:37:21,948
A lot of things happened
during those five years.
636
00:37:22,448 --> 00:37:24,784
A lot of things were moved around.
637
00:37:24,867 --> 00:37:27,703
She took out a lot of good things
for herself
638
00:37:27,787 --> 00:37:30,039
and put in bad things in their accounts.
639
00:37:30,122 --> 00:37:31,916
We ended up with all the yucky stuff.
640
00:37:33,125 --> 00:37:38,172
[Lewis Cross] She was taking property
out of Don's name and our names
641
00:37:38,256 --> 00:37:39,882
and putting it in her name.
642
00:37:41,342 --> 00:37:44,220
[Carole] I was the other woman for years.
643
00:37:44,512 --> 00:37:45,930
After the kids came back
644
00:37:46,013 --> 00:37:48,766
and they said that the mother didn't get
a fair settlement
645
00:37:48,849 --> 00:37:51,495
and they tried to take him back to court,
get more money out of him,
646
00:37:51,519 --> 00:37:55,356
that's when he disowned them.
And so he said to nullify their trust,
647
00:37:55,439 --> 00:37:57,479
but I didn't because I felt like
those are his kids.
648
00:37:57,566 --> 00:37:59,360
And someday
he's going to feel differently,
649
00:37:59,443 --> 00:38:00,945
so I left it in place.
650
00:38:05,366 --> 00:38:07,702
[man] So what's the theory
that makes the most sense?
651
00:38:09,537 --> 00:38:11,289
Well, there's no proof.
652
00:38:12,790 --> 00:38:15,710
I feel the one that would benefit the most
653
00:38:15,793 --> 00:38:18,087
from something happening to my father...
654
00:38:18,629 --> 00:38:20,256
um... is Carol.
655
00:38:21,173 --> 00:38:22,174
She knows.
656
00:38:24,051 --> 00:38:26,387
You've got to look at it
in the eyes of the law.
657
00:38:26,470 --> 00:38:30,391
I mean, I can sit here on this interview
and tell you I'd kill 37 people a week.
658
00:38:30,975 --> 00:38:31,975
Well, that's okay...
659
00:38:33,060 --> 00:38:34,603
but you got to have the bodies...
660
00:38:34,687 --> 00:38:36,897
[laughs] or it doesn't count.
661
00:38:37,481 --> 00:38:38,733
[Carole] Oh! You got me!
662
00:38:38,941 --> 00:38:41,319
[reporter] His wife says the worst part
is not knowing.
663
00:38:41,610 --> 00:38:44,322
No closure and no redemption for her.
664
00:38:44,488 --> 00:38:46,008
There's no way that I can finally say,
665
00:38:46,115 --> 00:38:47,908
"See! I didn't do it!"
666
00:38:49,035 --> 00:38:50,035
I can't do it.
667
00:38:51,329 --> 00:38:54,707
Nothing has ever shown up
on this case whatsoever.
668
00:38:54,790 --> 00:38:57,793
That poor woman is having to live
under a cloud of suspicion all this time.
669
00:38:57,877 --> 00:38:58,711
She sure is.
670
00:38:58,794 --> 00:39:00,194
Hell, for the fun of it, let's see,
671
00:39:00,254 --> 00:39:01,714
Carole's bitching that...
672
00:39:01,797 --> 00:39:03,716
she has this black cloud over her head
673
00:39:03,799 --> 00:39:06,677
of people thinking
that she fed her husband to the tigers.
674
00:39:07,845 --> 00:39:11,057
I mean, imagine that maybe
she didn't have anything to do with it,
675
00:39:11,682 --> 00:39:13,726
and let's say she did love Don,
676
00:39:13,809 --> 00:39:17,021
and she did mourn his death tremendously.
677
00:39:17,855 --> 00:39:19,440
To live with people
678
00:39:19,857 --> 00:39:23,486
constantly saying those things
and making those accusations,
679
00:39:24,070 --> 00:39:28,491
you know, that can be hurtful
and can change a person too.
680
00:39:31,827 --> 00:39:35,331
- [man] Was there ever a formal memorial...
- No.
681
00:39:35,414 --> 00:39:36,791
...or funeral or anything?
682
00:39:36,874 --> 00:39:38,542
- No.
- So no one...
683
00:39:38,918 --> 00:39:42,129
I remember the day
his death certificate came...
684
00:39:43,255 --> 00:39:47,051
I opened the letter and I just...
685
00:39:47,134 --> 00:39:49,136
I remember looking out the window
686
00:39:49,428 --> 00:39:52,348
and then the next time
that I remembered anything
687
00:39:52,431 --> 00:39:53,682
it was pitch black outside.
688
00:39:53,766 --> 00:39:56,394
It was just like
I had just completely zoned out.
689
00:39:56,477 --> 00:39:58,229
I don't know where I went,
690
00:39:58,312 --> 00:40:02,233
but that was the closest thing
that I had to a memorial.
691
00:40:03,776 --> 00:40:05,986
[man] And what about the money in the end?
692
00:40:06,070 --> 00:40:11,158
We definitely did not end up, um,
with, um...
693
00:40:12,451 --> 00:40:14,745
If I had to say it, probably ten percent.
694
00:40:16,080 --> 00:40:19,792
[man] You inherited only ten percent
of his estate?
695
00:40:20,793 --> 00:40:21,794
Mm-hmm.
696
00:40:22,253 --> 00:40:23,629
[man] And where did the rest go?
697
00:40:25,047 --> 00:40:26,047
Carole.
698
00:40:31,470 --> 00:40:33,556
[Carole]
There is a science of getting rich,
699
00:40:34,014 --> 00:40:36,142
and it is an exact science.
700
00:40:37,309 --> 00:40:41,021
The ownership of money and property
701
00:40:41,105 --> 00:40:43,983
comes from doing things in a certain way.
702
00:40:44,400 --> 00:40:47,027
Those who do things in a certain way,
703
00:40:47,361 --> 00:40:50,865
whether on purpose or accidentally,
704
00:40:50,948 --> 00:40:52,783
get rich.
705
00:41:01,459 --> 00:41:06,130
Relative to most... animal people,
706
00:41:07,256 --> 00:41:11,260
I would characterize her
as reasonably rational.
707
00:41:11,343 --> 00:41:12,511
[Carole chuckles]
708
00:41:15,264 --> 00:41:17,641
[Carole] We met on November 1st in 2002.
709
00:41:18,767 --> 00:41:21,812
On November 1st of 2004, we got married.
710
00:41:24,064 --> 00:41:27,610
[Howard] My number one goal in life
is gonna be to make this woman happy.
711
00:41:37,077 --> 00:41:39,330
[McQueen]
I'd love to be able to attend a funeral,
712
00:41:41,040 --> 00:41:42,291
see a headstone.
713
00:41:44,168 --> 00:41:45,503
I would like closure.
714
00:41:46,462 --> 00:41:47,630
[man] And what about justice?
715
00:41:48,422 --> 00:41:49,590
That would be nice...
716
00:41:50,549 --> 00:41:53,135
but I've never been a greedy person.
717
00:41:56,347 --> 00:41:57,640
We all feel...
718
00:41:57,932 --> 00:42:01,602
that Carole knows more
than what she's telling.
719
00:42:04,480 --> 00:42:08,067
There's nothing that I really want to say
to any of these people.
720
00:42:08,484 --> 00:42:10,402
I know that the only reason
721
00:42:10,486 --> 00:42:12,655
that they are saying the things
that they're saying
722
00:42:12,738 --> 00:42:14,740
is because they see me as a threat
723
00:42:14,823 --> 00:42:17,159
to their livelihood and to their ego.
724
00:42:17,535 --> 00:42:21,914
And with that being
their driving motivation,
725
00:42:21,997 --> 00:42:24,792
there's nothing I'm gonna say or do
that's gonna change that.
726
00:42:31,757 --> 00:42:35,469
[Sanchez] We never felt
that it was investigated well enough.
727
00:42:36,887 --> 00:42:41,016
They did say Carole was the prime suspect
at the time,
728
00:42:41,100 --> 00:42:43,727
but until, like she said,
until someone comes forward...
729
00:42:43,811 --> 00:42:45,211
Until someone would come forward...
730
00:42:46,981 --> 00:42:51,485
I cannot tell you that we have zeroed in
on any particular suspect.
731
00:42:51,569 --> 00:42:53,362
I'd be remiss if I said that.
732
00:42:53,445 --> 00:42:58,409
There is absolutely no physical evidence
at this point in time
733
00:42:58,492 --> 00:43:00,869
that would point
at one particular individual.
734
00:43:03,455 --> 00:43:05,332
[Sanchez] When we started to speak out...
735
00:43:07,376 --> 00:43:09,128
we did People magazine.
736
00:43:09,545 --> 00:43:15,426
Inside Edition came to talk to us,
and Hard Copy I believe wanted to.
737
00:43:15,509 --> 00:43:18,971
That's when we got the thing
from Carole to stop.
738
00:43:19,054 --> 00:43:21,307
"I have the money, you do not,
739
00:43:21,974 --> 00:43:24,101
and if you continue talking,
740
00:43:24,476 --> 00:43:28,564
I will take everything away from you
and your family."
741
00:43:31,275 --> 00:43:33,115
[Lewis Cross]
That's why we haven't spoken out.
742
00:43:33,652 --> 00:43:35,696
[man]
'Cause you're afraid of Carole Baskin?
743
00:43:35,779 --> 00:43:37,281
Oh, yes, I am.
744
00:43:38,157 --> 00:43:39,199
I am.
745
00:43:46,290 --> 00:43:48,125
[Joe over the phone] I'm taking Carole on
746
00:43:48,959 --> 00:43:51,211
because everyone else is scared to.
747
00:43:53,756 --> 00:43:55,924
She has a lot of answering to do.
748
00:43:58,260 --> 00:43:59,386
Her day is coming.
749
00:44:09,271 --> 00:44:12,566
[closing music plays]