Devils in the dollars
I'm feeling poor right about now
Ok, things are getting weird. Not that they weren't already strange to begin with. I feel like that scene from Always Sunny. You know the one.
Do you guys remember when this was just a Netflix show we drank to during lockdown? It was all hazy then (thanks tequila). Now I'm here in Costa Rica chasing leads. Sober. We're all grown up now 🥲
Anyway. Details.
It all comes down to chasing the strange little details right now. Without them I would be stuck.
The more I dig, the more I get the vibe that Netflix really had a lot of doors slammed in their face. I wonder who they rubbed the wrong way. Or maybe they didn't offer enough money. From what I've gathered, they shelled out a pretty penny for these interviews. I was asked if I was offering money for these interviews. There’s another meme for how that felt.
Or maybe it was this one
Maybe a camera crew at your doorstep isn't as appealing as one might think. Maybe the producer wasn't very likable. Sorry if you're a producer for Netflix and reading this, I'm sure you're lovely.
I'm speaking with "Ripper Jack." He represents the family of Don Lewis and seems to be a one-stop-shop for everything you need to know on Don, Carole, and the whole mystery.
Did you know Don allegedly had a fiancé in Costa Rica at some point? That’s a rumor floating around that, for legal purposes, I’m going to keep on the level of a rumor. (please don’t sue me)
Details, man. Look at that detail.
Ripper has a Youtube channel with 16.7k subscribers where he talks about the case, among other things. He's a bit of a justice seeker it appears. Good on him.
If you've followed the news then you know that today the Lewis family released a statement saying that the DHS letter claiming that Don is alive and well in Costa Rica is "simply not true."
Donna, a daughter of Don, went to Costa Rica herself after the discovery of the letter to find her father. Obviously, to no avail.
But in a mysterious side detail... I spoke with a connection to Carole today who had allegedly had a conversation with her about how Don wanted nothing to do with his children. I don't know how accurate this is. This may just be gossip in the wind. But hey... details.
I don't want to pick sides here, though. I don't care if Don wanted this or that or Carole did whatever. I'm just here for the story, and not one that was bought out.
But this letter has another detail that caught my attention. If you take your eyes away from the “alive and well” in Costa Rica part, you’ll notice another sentence:
“Lewis could reside in Costa Rica indefinitely.”
Below, the CR city name “San Jose” is written.
Now that’s a juicy piece too. I’m not done here, and have more people to speak to. I think a nap first, though. My brain is spinning.
Ripper also spoke on the misuse of this letter on his Youtube channel. It has a little over 2k views in 24 hours, so the guy has a little bit of a following. Enough for the rest of the world to eventually catch up on what he finds if the information spreads to other outlets.
I'm here for another 11 days and am willing to travel as well, but now I need to see what doors will open, and stay open, for me. I'm a journalist, and a new one at that. No Netflix money in my pocket, just some coins and a pack of cigarettes that I need to kick. Maybe tomorrow.