Erik Cowie Dead: 'Tiger King's' 'Main' Zookeeper Who Testified Against Joe Exotic Died Facedown
KEENESBURG, CO - APRIL 05: One of the 39 tigers rescued in 2017 from Joe Exotic's G.W. Exotic Animal Park relaxes at the Wild Animal Sanctuary on April 5, 2020 in Keenesburg, Colorado. Exotic, star of the wildly successful Netflix docu-series Tiger King, is currently in prison for a murder-for-hire plot and surrendered some of his animals to the Wild Animal Sanctuary. The Sanctuary cares for some 550 animals on two expansive reserves in Colorado.
Erik Cowie is dead. Considered one of the zookeepers who made the most appearances on "Tiger Kng," Cowie is found dead lying face down in the bedroom a house, not sure whose. Law enforcement investigating the matter said his body is nowhere near his known residence in Oklahoma,where he also worked.
Erik was 53.
The original statement provided to TMZ was that there's nothing suspicious found about his death, and no drugs were uncovered from the scene.
However, it was later announced that his death could still be substance abuse related.
Law enforcement sources revealed that the zookeeper was just in town visiting a friend at her apartment, where he was found dead. Investigating officers found out that Cowie is a man who loved to drink and could consumer alcohol quite excessively. A large bottle of vodka was found at this particular death scene.
ALSO READ: 'RHOBH' Star Erika Jayne Blasted for Cringey and Insulting Post Amid Legal Embezzlement Woes
Cowie has appeared in Netflix's hit show from last year as one of Joe Exotic's longtime animal caretakers so repeatedly that he is believed to be the head keeper of JE's big cats. One interesting fact about him is that he loyally still went to work on the GW zoo even after Joe was already placed into prison. What makes it even more interesting was that he did not necessarily sided with Joe. Instead, he testified against "Tiger King" and claimed Joe order some of the zoo animals to be shot and killed, leading to a lengthier conviction.
Even before his unfortunate passing, many are already saying his appearance is already quite telling of his true health.
Some said Cowie might've used meth due to his bad teeth, but he denied these himself and said the look of his mouth can be linked to old age. Plus, he eventually got his teeth fixed.
Like most from "Tiger King," or those who made Joe Exotic's acquaintance, Cowie did not face a shortage of legal issues.
Earlier this year, he even got busted for DUI in Oklahoma following a car accident. At the time, he pleaded guilty and was supposed to be sentenced just shortly after his admission. However, he never appeared on court, regardless of an arrest warrant being subsequently issued. His whereabouts were unclear until this death.
