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The case of Carole Baskin's disappeared husband, Don Lewis, is going the route of 'Don't F**k with Cats' -- with an online group claiming it's dug up a massive, and crappy, clue about where his body might be.

Jack Smith -- the spokesman now repping Don's family -- tells us he and a group of internet sleuths joined forces earlier this year after the premiere of 'Tiger King' and formed a Facebook group to search for the truth about Don's still-unsolved disappearance in 1997.

Welp, we're told the group believes it discovered a new lead, tied to an existing theory about Don -- namely, that he was allegedly buried on his and Carole's animal sanctuary property under a septic tank system.

According to Jack ... the research team has obtained the actual receipts and permit paperwork for the septic tank's installation. Carole has publicly acknowledged two septic tanks -- one that she claims was installed well before Don's disappearance, and another installed well afterward.

BUT, if you believe what Jack and co. claim these receipts show ... a septic tank system was, in fact, worked on and installed right around the time of Don's disappearance ... 23 years ago this month.

They claim the receipts show a permit to install the septic tank was pulled on August 4, 1997, and that work on such a system was completed by or before the 15th later that same month, with a mound of dirt delivered to Carole's address the day prior.

So, what does that all mean??? According to Don's family and this crack Facebook team of investigators, it points to the possibility that Carole wasn't truthful with her timeline ... and that Don may very well be under the ground, like Joe Exotic himself suggested in the docuseries.

We're told the group will turn this finding and others they claim to have over to the cops, in hopes of cracking the case wide open again.

We've reached out to Carole about the group's new findings ... so far, no word back.

The family of Don Lewis -- Carole Baskin's millionaire husband who went missing in 1997, whose story was featured on 'Tiger King' -- is going all out to find out what happened to him ... including putting up billboards and offering a $100k reward.

Don's 3 daughters, alongside attorney John Phillips and family spokesperson Jack Smith, announced a series of steps currently in place to get more info on his disappearance ... which occurred on August 18, 1997, after Don left his Tampa home.

Don's daughters say a team is in place, led by Smith, that has restored their hope of finding out what happened to their father ... and they believe Phillips is the lawyer they've been waiting for to handle the case.

Along with erecting 4 billboards across Tampa reading, "Who Murdered Don Lewis?" -- which also highlights the reward for info -- Don's family spokesperson says a cold case group on Facebook was started to hunt for clues ... which he says has already yielded results.

For instance, they looked into details about a septic tank installation allegedly connected to the case, and claim they found a discrepancy with what Carole had previously stated about it.

Other revelations from the Monday press conference include Phillips' plan to sue Baskin -- presumably for wrongful death -- and that the $100k reward money was made possible by an anonymous donor. BTW ... Carole has denied any involvement in Don's disappearance.

The team said it would not discuss further evidence at this time, but TMZ's learned an anonymous letter was sent to Jeff Lowe at the GW Zoo allegedly detailing where Don's body is buried ... so the letter writer claimed. We're told Jeff turned the letter over to authorities.

The family hopes the money and heightened interest in the case will lead to someone finally coming forward with a helpful tip that breaks the cold case open ... and results in justice for Don.

As you may know ... rumors over the cause of Don's death were fueled on 'Tiger King' by Joe Exotic, who made it clear he believes Baskin killed him. Although Carole's not a suspect, the Sheriff has said he's suspicious.

Carole Baskin is picking a catfight with Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion over their new music video, which she says sends a terrible message and is harmful to the future of big cats.

Carole tells TMZ ... the worst part of Cardi B's new music video is the way it glamorizes rich folk keeping tigers as pets, and she thinks it makes "every ignorant follower want to imitate by doing the same."

As we reported ... Cardi and Megan dropped the video to "WAP" Friday, and it's loaded with sexually suggestive imagery and lyrics, a Kylie Jenner cameo and tons of exotic cats, which is upsetting Carole.

While Carole is glad the cats likely weren't really in the room with Cardi and Megan -- only photoshopped in -- she says posing wild animals in front of green screens and using them in productions is unnatural and confusing.

Carole claims everything about the project points to producers working with one of the "big cat pimps" like Doc Antle or Mario Tabraue, who she believes mistreat cats ... something they strongly deny.

Bottom line for Carole ... nothing about "WAP" is good for big cats.

Daisy Coleman's mother was gravely concerned about her daughter's state of mind shortly before her suicide, but tragically ... even a wellness check couldn't prevent it.

TMZ broke the story ... Daisy -- one of the teenage girls featured in the Netflix documentary "Audrie & Daisy" about multiple rape cases -- took her own life Tuesday night. We've since learned that she died in Lakewood, Colorado.

John Romero, spokesperson for the Lakewood PD, tells us Daisy was at an apartment around 4 PM that day when officers were called to make a wellness check for a "possible suicidal party" at the residence.

As we told you, the person who called this in was Daisy's mom, Melinda. Romero says the police department responded by sending paramedics and agents trained in crisis intervention.

We're told Daisy talked to the agents for over an hour, but she never said anything or gave any indication she wanted to harm herself ... so she was medically cleared, and there was no legal reason to hold her for mental health issues.

Sadly, we’re told police received another call around 8:30 PM from a female friend of Daisy's, reporting that she had shot herself inside the same apartment. Cops say Daisy used a pistol to fire the fatal shot.

Daisy was one of the subjects of the 2016 Netflix doc, which followed her and members of her family as they dealt with the trauma of her alleged sexual assault in January 2012 when she was just 14 years old ... as well as the hostile reaction of her Missouri community.

Daisy was 23.

Justin Hartley cold-heartedly fired off a text to Chrishell Stause about filing for divorce ... so claims the "Selling Sunset" star.

Chrishell broke down telling co-star Mary Fitzgerald about exactly how she found out the "This Is Us" star wanted out of their marriage. It's pretty heartbreaking ... Chrishell choked back tears before revealing, "I found out because he texted me that we were filed [for divorce]."

The actress/real estate agent says at first she thought Justin was joking but pretty quickly reality set in ... adding that "45 minutes later the world knew." TMZ broke the story ... Justin filed for divorce in November 2019 after 2 years of marriage. She later strongly hinted she was blindsided by the news ... and now we know why.

Chrishell says she spoke to Justin after he dropped the bombshell on her but that was the end of their communication. She was clearly distraught ... saying even though they were only married for 2 years they were together for 6 years. She said if this is what Justin really wanted "there are better ways to go about it."

The Netflix hit "Selling Sunset" premieres season 3 beginning Friday ... and the season's storyline largely centers around the sudden end of Chrishell and Justin's marriage.

That's playing out pretty publicly -- Justin's moved on and has been photographed getting cozy with a new GF.

Daisy Coleman -- one of the teenage girls featured in "Audrie & Daisy," the Netflix documentary about multiple rape cases -- has died by suicide ... according to her mother.

Daisy's mom, Melinda, says her daughter took her own life Tuesday night. Her body was discovered after Melinda called the police to do a welfare check.

Melinda says ... "She was my best friend and amazing daughter. I think she had to make it seem like I could live without her. I can’t. I wish I could have taken the pain from her!"

Daisy was 14 years old in January 2012 when she was allegedly raped at a Missouri house party after being plied with alcohol ... though no one was ever convicted.

The 2016 Netflix doc followed Daisy and members of her family as they dealt with the trauma of her alleged assault, and the hostile reaction of their community.

Daisy's mom says, "She never recovered from what those boys did to her and it’s just not fair. My baby girl is gone." The family coped with another tragedy just last year when Daisy's younger brother was killed in a car accident.

"Audrie & Daisy" also focused on the sexual assault of Audrie Pott in September 2012 in California. Audrie died by suicide 10 days later.

Following her rape case, Daisy co-founded the organization SafeBAE with the mission of ending sexual assault among middle and high school students and helping survivors. The org says it is devastated by her death and has "suffered an irreplaceable loss."

Daisy was 23.

Here's Dave Chappelle hanging with David Letterman in Chappelle's hometown for what looks like a new episode of Letterman's show ... and possibly for one of Dave's socially-distanced comedy shows.

The two comedy giants shared a laugh and a cup of coffee Wednesday in Yellow Springs, Ohio, sitting on a bench outside Dark Star Books and Comics. You don't see this every day.

Chappelle and Letterman, who had a Chappelle-branded face mask hanging off his ear, were followed by a big camera crew -- which seems to indicate they're shooting an episode of Letterman's interview show, "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction."

However, Chappelle's been doing socially-distanced comedy -- which he's dubbed 'Chappelle Summer Camp' -- and Letterman popped up there too. It's unclear if Letterman actually did a little standup.

Chris Rock's already flown in for one of Chappelle's shows, which have featured Jon Stewart, Jon Hamm, Tiffany Haddish, Michael Che, Erykah Badu, Common, Donnell Rawlings, Talib Kweli and Michelle Wolf.

In any event, whatever Chappelle and Letterman are cooking up, it's sure to be funny!!!

Erik Cowie, one of the ''Tiger King' stars who you saw caring for the zoo's animals, has a nice new set of chompers -- a gift from the man in charge, Jeff Lowe.

Sources close to the GW Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma tell TMZ ... though Erik interacts with the public daily -- leading tours and answering questions about all the animals -- he has a hard time connecting with people, because he's always been self-conscious about his smile and felt bad about his teeth.

We're told Jeff and his wife Lauren wanted to do something nice for Erik -- who's still the head zookeeper like he was for Joe Exotic -- for all the hard work he does at the park.

So, our sources say Jeff surprised Erik and flew him down to Florida, where he'd arranged for him to get permanent teeth implants installed at Done In One ... which does the job in 48 hours.

We're told the dental center got his mouth all fixed up, and even decided the procedure was on the house. As you can see, Erik's one happy customer.

As you may recall ... Cowie was a sympathetic character in the 'Tiger King' docuseries, as he seemed greatly impacted by Joe's alleged mistreatment of animals. He later testified at his trial that Joe killed older tigers to make space for new animals, and expressed guilt he couldn't do anything to stop it.

Erik's also on record saying he doesn't believe Joe should get out of prison.

BTW, Erik's not the first 'Tiger King' star to get new teeth ... Exotic's ex-husband John Finlay blazed that trail months ago, and almost looked like a whole new person afterward.

Carole Baskin's rescue org says Jeff Lowe is not being a cool cat or kitten when it comes to obeying a court order over Joe Exotic's old zoo ... and she wants a judge to step in.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ, Big Cat Rescue claims Jeff is not complying with the court order from June, when a judge granted the rescue org control of the exotic animal park.

In the docs, Carole's org says Jeff is blowing off payments due under the order... including missing a June deadline to hand over certain insurance paperwork, and isn't forking over payments that were supposed to begin in July. The org wants him found in contempt of court.

According to the docs, the org also claims Jeff's funneling money from the zoo into his own separate company, and the org rips him for filming reality shows on the property instead of complying with the court order.

The two sides had a contempt hearing set for this week, but Jeff said he couldn't show up due to health issues ... and a judge agreed to reschedule the hearing. We're told Jeff missed the hearing because he thought he contracted the coronavirus -- 2 tests eventually came back negative for COVID-19 -- and he remains ill and will continue to quarantine as a precaution.

Sources close to Jeff tell TMZ ... the order was handed over to Jeff's attorneys the day it was issued, and the demands were impossible to meet ... making it more likely Jeff could get charged with contempt. His camp thinks that was Carole's intention.

Sources say the org is demanding Jeff take out a $5 million insurance policy on the zoo for the next two months, but we're told Jeff feels Carole knows that's impossible to obtain.

The death of Alonzo Brooks is still a mystery, but his mom believes the cold case is heating up and they're close to getting some real answers ... thanks in large part to the national attention it just received.

Maria Ramirez tells TMZ ... as bittersweet as it may be, the timing of the pandemic, along with the story of her son's murder featured on the rebooted "Unsolved Mysteries" series on Netflix, has been beneficial to the investigation.

Alonzo's mother says it got so many viewers -- along with so much interest and support -- because of the current situation in the country ... and she has faith it's going to lead to cracking the case and providing her with some closure.

As we reported ... there have already been some major developments this week in the murder case. Brooks' body was exhumed in Topeka, KS as tips have continued to pour in.

Alonzo was found dead in a creek in May 2004, about a month after he went missing, after attending a party in La Cygne, KS, at which he was one of only a few Black people.

Law enforcement had no suspects or solid answers for the family and the case went cold until the FBI reopened it this month. It's now calling Alonzo's death a hate crime ... offering a $100k reward for info leading to an arrest.

Rob Gronkowski says he's all about that POGUE LIFE ... 'cause the NFL superstar is coming clean about his newest addiction -- Netflix's hit show "Outer Banks."

For those who haven't heard, the new series hit the streaming service earlier this year and quickly became the #1 show on the platform.

The show covers a dude named John B. and his friends in Outer Banks, NC ... who go on a hunt for treasure. It's a bit more complex than that ... but if you want, check the trailer.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers TE is one of the millions of viewers who quickly became hooked on the show ... crashing his S.I. Swim model girlfriend Camille Kostek's interview to rave about his obsession.

"Outer Banks ... best show ever!" Gronk told Barstool Sports' Chicks In The Office. "I love John B! ... "They need season 2 to come out."

"We watched season 1 in the first 2 days and then when it ended we were all mad, we were like, dang it!"

BTW -- yes, the ending will most definitely piss you off ... and as of right now, Netflix hasn't confirmed a follow-up season.

It's probably good for Gronk that he's done with the show -- now he can refocus on gearing up for his big NFL comeback with old teammate Tom Brady.

Although Gronk says he loves John B, he definitely gives off Kook vibes.

There's rampant animal mistreatment at the 'Tiger King' zoo -- this according to federal authorities -- but Jeff Lowe says the findings are misleading and unfair.

The USDA recently completed an investigation into the GW Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, and faulted the zoo for not providing proper veterinary care for the lions, tigers and bears. Lowe calls BS on the USDA's report, though ... and claims it's out to get him.

Here's some of what inspectors found according to the report -- a 16-week-old lion cub named Nala was lethargic, depressed, and so thin she wouldn't get up from a sitting position even after prompting. The cub was immediately removed from the park and taken to a vet.

Lowe claims Nala was actually rescued from Tim Stark -- who was also featured on the 'Tiger King' series -- and the zoo spent a fortune trying to nurse her and others back to health.

Other examples of neglect -- according to the report -- include 2 geriatric wolves suffering from arthritis. The USDA says the zoo was "not following the instructions of the veterinarian to provide medication and bedding for the wolves."

The inspectors also say there was also a grizzly bear found to be extremely thin and a black bear that appeared to be underweight ... and both bears reportedly exhibited heightened aggression.

But, Jeff claims the report doesn't acknowledge that "many of the animals that we house here are at the end of their lives and suffer from arthritis and do lose some weight toward the end of their days."

He insists the wolves are receiving treatment and the bears are in their proper weight class, and claims they were recently deemed in good shape by local authorities and the Dept. of Fish & Wildlife.

Finally, the USDA claims the charred remains of a 17-year-old tigon, along with a dead tiger, were discovered in a large pile of primarily wood debris in the back of the park. The report says, "There is a foul odor of decomposing flesh and many flies are present on the boards and surrounding areas."

Lowe did not address the dead animals, but maintains the GW Zoo has weekly vet visits and prior to this report ... received 5 clean inspections from the USDA.

He tells us he thinks the 'Tiger King' documentary painted a poor picture of the zoo. Lowe claims all of the incidents listed by the USDA in its June 22 report have since been corrected.

The grave of Alonzo Brooks -- who was mysteriously found dead after a 2004 party in Kansas -- has been dug up on the heels of "Unsolved Mysteries" bringing new attention to the cold case.

Alonzo's body was exhumed Tuesday morning in Topeka after the FBI recently reopened the case. The new Netflix series covered Alonzo's disappearance and death -- and his family says tips have been coming in since the new docuseries dropped.

For those who haven't seen it ... 23-year-old Alonzo went to a party in La Cygne, KS in April 2004 with some friends, where he was believed to be one of few black people. Witnesses described the crowd as mostly white, redneck and racist types.

His friend says Alonzo nearly got into a fight with one guy over a girl -- but still stayed at the party, even after his friends left. He never made it back home.

The following day, Brooks' boots and hat were found across the road from the house party property. However, his body wasn't discovered until May 1, 2004 in a nearby creek.

Initial medical reports listed his death as inconclusive due to the advanced decomposition of the body, and authorities were left with little concrete evidence. However, those close to him were certain he did not commit suicide or accidentally drown ... they believed he was murdered.

Joe Exotic's old 'Tiger King' zoo might have human remains buried there after all -- at least that's what Jeff Lowe thinks -- and some cadaver dogs are allegedly pointing there.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Jeff contacted the same company that visited the GW Exotic Animal Park a couple weeks back for a second opinion, and this time FOUR cadaver dogs came and gave a positive alert.

We're told the hounds -- 4 different dogs at 4 different times -- picked up the scent of human remains ... once again, by the alligator pit.

Our sources say the company swears by the accuracy of its dogs and believes the local sheriff's deputies didn't take this seriously earlier in the month, and handled the excavation incorrectly to boot.

We broke the story ... 2 cadaver dogs were previously brought to the zoo as part of an episode of Zak Bagans' "Ghost Adventures" and picked up a scent near the same gator pit.

However, law enforcement found no human remains -- just some animal bones that appeared to be the skeleton of small animal with a tail -- and considered the matter closed.

Our sources say Jeff and co. want officials to come by again for a more thorough investigation ... because the cadaver dog owners are doggone serious something's up.

As we reported, sources connected to Joe say he scattered ashes from several bodies on the property -- because the people who died wanted it that way -- but that's it.

Carole Baskin ... what the fudge is this??

The 'Tiger King' star's been cashing in doing Cameo vids for a bit now, but her latest submission -- a birthday shout-out to a fan named Charlotte -- is ... well, priceless.

Carole -- joined by her husband Howard -- kicks off the video message with her tagline, "Hey all you cool cats and kittens," before saying they're "here with the crip mates" to wish Charlotte a happy bday.

And, then it gets REALLY interesting.

Watch for yourself ... pretty sure 50 Cent's "In Da Club" has never been done like this. And it probably shouldn't be ever again.

Something's rotten at the original "Tiger King" zoo, now owned by Jeff Lowe -- 2 cadaver dogs have zeroed in on what their trainer believes are human remains ... TMZ has learned.

We're told the dogs were brought in as part of an episode of Zak Bagans' "Ghost Adventures." Our sources say the dogs picked up the scent Thursday ... in the alligator pit.

The local sheriff's deputies are on the scene right now, and we're told they're currently discussing a method to determine if remains are there ... and, if so, how to dig them up safely.

The zoo, in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, was originally Joe Exotic's baby ... before he partnered with Jeff, and then got convicted in federal court for murder-for-hire and various animal abuse charges. He's currently serving a 22 year sentence.

Sources connected with Joe tell TMZ ... Joe has said there are ashes of 4 people buried on the property as a memorial --  people who chose to make the zoo their final resting place. The sources did not identify whose ashes were there.