TMZ: Cadaver dogs alert on alligator pit at zoo once owned by Joe Exotic
WYNNEWOOD, Okla. - Cadaver dogs have allegedly picked up on human remains at an Oklahoma zoo formerly owned by Joe Maldonado-Passage, AKA Joe Exotic, according to TMZ.
TMZ reports Maldonado-Passage’s former partner, Jeff Lowe now owns the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, located in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, however, a judge recently granted ownership of the zoo to Big Cat Rescue CEO Carole Baskin.
TMZ said in an exclusive report Friday that two cadaver dogs were brought onto the property Thursday during the taping of a reality TV show. TMZ said the dogs “zeroed in on what their trainer believes are human remains.”
TMZ sources said the scent was detected in an alligator pit.
A production crew was at the property recording an episode of Zak Bagans' "Ghost Adventures." That shoot has been halted while Garvin County Sheriff's Office deputies investigate.
RELATED: Big Cat Rescue CEO: 'People have been trying to kill me for years'
Joe Exotic is currently in prison after he was convicted of trying to have Carole Baskin of Tampa’s Big Cat Rescue killed. Maldonado-Passage was also convicted of charges of animal abuse.
A yearslong feud between several big names in the exotic animal ownership and rescue business was brought on the national stage after the Netflix documentary "Tiger King" told their stories.
According to the show's telling, Maldonado-Passage took aim at Big Cat Rescue and Carole Baskin several times in videos he posted online. But Joe Exotic crossed the line of legality when he was caught trying to hire someone to kill Baskin.
RELATED: Big Cat Rescue CEO disapproves of 'Tiger King' documentary, calling it 'sensational'
As for the ownership of the GW Zoo in Oklahoma, Big Cat Rescue Advisory Board Chairman and husband of Carole Baskin, Howard Baskin confirmed to FOX 13 News the GW Zoo land was awarded to Big Cat Rescue after a judge found the property was fraudulently transferred by Joe to his mother as a way to avoid paying Baskin money he owed from a previous lawsuit over trademark infringement.
When Joe went to prison, Jeff Lowe had been granted ownership of the zoo. Howard Baskin said the judge gave Lowe 14 days to make repairs and improvements to the property and then 120 days to move off the land, including the zoo's animals.
Baskin said Big Cat Rescue will file an application with the court to hold Lowe in contempt.
This story was reported from Tampa, Florida.