A cadaver dog has picked up the scent of human remains near the lake house of Carole Baskin’s missing ex-husband, Don Lewis, it has been claimed.
The Tiger King star’s former husband disappeared in August 1997, and was declared dead five years later.
His body has never been found, with the Big Cat Rescue owner adamantly denying any knowledge or wrongdoing.
According to reports, a dog that has been trained to sniff out human remains detected a smell close to his property in Florida.
The Sun states their discovery was filmed as part of a new Investigation Discovery documentary, Tigers, Lies and Cover Ups, which will be on screen on Sunday.
Detective Jim Rathmann told the publication: ‘Cadaver dogs can detect human remains 20 feet below water and the fact we have her alerting on the same spot was extremely exciting.
‘But after 23 years whatever is in there is covered in mud, makes a search, there is zero visibility and there’s alligators there.
‘We are not going to find a body, but if Don, hypothetically, had gone through a meat grinder we are looking for soft bone fragments, clothing or maybe a tooth. Best case scenario is you find a tooth or bone that you extract DNA from.’
However, they reported that after the animal allegedly sniffed the smell, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office sent detectives to take a look – but they were unable to find anything due to ‘poor conditions’.
Don disappeared 23 years ago, after leaving his Tampa home – the day before he was due to fly to Costa Rica.
The case into his disappearance was recently reopened following the release of Netflix’s Tiger King series, in which Carole Baskin insisted she had nothing to do with it.
In the show, Joe Exotic – who is currently behind bars – shared a string of wild theories, including suggesting that Carole fed his body to tigers.
And she revealed that the documentary, as well as all the theories, have impacted her mental health.
The animal activist has been faced with trolling and death threats from viewers, with current husband Howard admitting they had to take precautions to keep themselves safe.
In a rare chat about Tiger King on Dancing With The Stars, where she is currently competing for the trophy, Carole told the cameras: ‘I keep it inside [my feelings].’
In an emotional second clip, she added: ‘That is the absolute worst of this.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office for a comment.
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