Will signatures and power of attorney documents related to Don Lewis, the long-missing second husband of “Tiger King” star Carole Baskin, appear to be forgeries — a fact that could play into a possible trial, according to a new report.
“It’s not a difficult call,” handwriting expert Thomas Vastrick told Jackson, Mississippi’s Clarion-Ledger of the apparent forgeries.
Lewis’ signature on the two documents appears to have been traced from his marriage record, said Vastrick, who also noted that the signatures of the witnesses and the notary on both documents are also identical, suggesting that at least one — and possibly both — of those was forged.
Fellow handwriting expert Willa Smith concurred with the assessment, telling the Clarion-Ledger that Lewis’ signature was “the product of tracing.”
Lewis, a multimillionaire who co-owned a Tampa, Florida wildlife sanctuary with Baskin, vanished without a trace in the summer of 1997.
Lewis was never found, nor was any concrete evidence of foul play, but he was declared legally dead in 2002, clearing the way for Baskin — the last known person to see him alive — to inherit his estate.
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