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Another 'Tiger King' episode will be released Sunday, April 12

Updated  April 10, 2020 9:28am EDT
Tiger King
FOX 13 News

Sheriff says cold case still needs ‘credible’ lead

A Netflix documentary has had social media buzzing for over a week, allowing viewers to dive into the story of big cat owners. But it's also raising awareness about a missing person cold case in Hillsborough County.

TAMPA, Fla. - For fans of the Netflix docuseries about big cat owners and a Tampa murder-for-hire plot, a new episode will be released Sunday, April 12 due to the show's popularity. 

The streaming giant made it official on social media Thursday. The new episode, titled "The Tiger King and I" will be more of an aftershow with the return of some of the eccentric characters of the "Tiger King" cast. The episode will bring brand-new interviews with John Reinke, Joshua Dial, John Finlay, Saff, Erik Cowie, Rick Kirkman, and Jeff and Lauren Lowe.

Netflix shared a teaser on its Twitter account:

Tiger King quickly became popular as more people began staying at home during the pandemic. According to Variety, Tiger King had about 34 million U.S. viewers within the first 10 days of its March 20 release. 

The documentary following the story of Joseph Maldonado-Passage, who goes by "Joe Exotic," who was once the owner of Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma. The documentary dives into the rivalry between him and Carole Baskin, the CEO of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa.  

Baskin openly criticized Joe's treatment of animals. In January, he was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for the 2017 murder-for-hire plot against her, as well as animal abuses.

After the Netflix series was released, Baskin wrote a blog post highlighting her disapproval of her potrayal in the show. She said it was full of lies, including the theories about whether she was involved in her husband's disappearance.

READ: Big Cat Rescue CEO disapproves of 'Tiger King' documentary, calling it 'sensational'

From 1997: Investigation underway after Don Lewis disappears

This Warren Elly report originally aired in August of 1997, one week after Wildlife on Easy Street sanctuary founder Don Lewis vanished. He was never seen again.

An entire episode dived into the cold case of Don Lewis, who went missing in the 1997. One theory implied Lewis' body was placed in a meat grinder and was fed to tigers. 

“The meat grinder shown in the video was enormous. Our meat grinder was one of those little tabletop, hand crank things, like you’d have in your kitchen at home,” Baskin wrote in her blog post.

“Don was not easy to live with and like most couples we had our moments,” Baskin added. “But I never threatened him and I certainly had nothing to do with his disappearance. When he disappeared, I did everything I could to assist the police.”

Last week, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said the agency has received more tips since the documentary's release, but said he is still waiting on a "credible lead."

Due to the high interest in the case, Chronister assigned a detective supervisor to handle the incoming tips.


After the new episode airs on Netflix, TMZ will host a special about the show Monday, April 13 at 9 p.m. on FOX.