Big Daddy Is Missing | "Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel" | "48 Hours" Podcast Episode 1 | Forensic Files

[music] >> All right, I got a feeling and I really hope I'm wrong, but I just I expect foul play out of
this. Scott Ferris was worried. No one had seen his father Gary in 2 days. >> [music]
>> Did you notice anything odd at the house? Anything unusual in the last 2 days?
>> No. Anything strange, any unusual visitor visitor activity? Nope. Everything that I found unusual was
today. It was July 5th, 2018, [music] a hot and humid Thursday in Cherokee County, Georgia, just outside Atlanta.
Scott was talking to Detective Daniel Hayes on the Ferrises' beautifully manicured family [music] farm.
And where do you live at? I've lived here on the property. I live above the barn, the apartment.
Scott was in his mid-30s, ex-military, and a big guy like his dad, 6 ft 6 in tall. He managed the farm for his
parents. On that Thursday, he was heading out to get a haircut when he saw his sister
sitting on the front porch of the main house with his mother Melody. And she was out there with my sister and
she's like, "Have you seen your father? Have you talked to him?" I'm like, "No."
Apparently, no one in the family had. Were there any July 4th plans? No, they don't do He doesn't
He doesn't have a very social life. Scott noticed that Gary's Mercedes was still parked at the farm.
He then ticked through the other clues that might indicate Gary was somewhere on the property, beginning with his
dad's wallet. When Gary was home, he'd leave that on his dresser in the master bedroom.
But it wasn't there. He thought about what else Gary would have taken if he left on a trip or was
staying safely somewhere else. Gary used a CPAP machine every night for his sleep apnea,
and Scott knew his father wouldn't spend the night anywhere without it. So, the CPAP machine was there? Yes.
Did y'all look for a cell phone or anything? Or does he carry that with him? >> Well, I I started calling his cell phone
and my sister started calling his cell phone. It was going straight to voicemail.
But with Gary's car and CPAP machine all on the property, he had to be nearby. At this point, Scott's brother Chris
[music] had joined the search. Scott wondered if his father had fallen somewhere. I've always worried about him
having a heart attack. I mean, just being somewhere on this property and him having a heart attack.
They searched the more than 8,000 sq ft main house, the barn, and surrounding woods. I was going to start walking down
into the woods to see if, you know, >> [music] >> he went off down in there, and then I
saw my sister Amanda and my mother standing by the fire. The fire was a smoldering burn pile.
It's where they'd burn yard waste. She goes, "Has a goat died or anything? Have you thrown a dead goat?" Was there
a dead animal in the pile? I'm like, "No, I haven't done that." I was like, "We haven't had any goats to
die." And she's like, "Well, come over here and look at this." Scott moved down [music] for a closer look. I picked up
one little piece. I turned it and realized it was a skull. >> [music] >> I immediately just set it back down
gently. I said, "Back up. I'm calling 911." Cherokee County 911, what's your emergency?
Blaine. Uh My father has come up missing and I We just searched the property. It's a
small farm and I just found something near the fire that doesn't It was that he was burning brush and I
there's something in the fire that it could be him. I don't know. Scott was horrified and certain he had just picked
up human remains, remains he believed could be his father. All right, sir. I've got them on the
got them on the way out there for you. Sheriff's deputies and detectives [music] quickly realized that what had
happened that day at the Ferris family farm was no accident. [music] They'd learn that the Ferrises were a
dysfunctional family. Accusations [music] went round and round like a sinister Ferris wheel.
Investigators [music] now had to figure out if any of those arguments pushed one
of Gary's own kin [music] to kill him. It has been called the Ferris wheel. And it was, but it was our Ferris
[music] wheel. This Ferris wheel was powered by distrust over finances, jealousy, and personal betrayal.
It's a real life soap opera. And now, a murder. This is a mother's [clears throat]
nightmare. A nightmare [music] that would go on for years, dragging them through a carnival
of lies, turning into [music] a murder case the likes of which I have never before experienced.
I'm Peter Van Sant from 48 Hours. This is Blood is Thicker: The Ferris Wheel. Episode [music] 1,
Big Daddy is Missing. When Gary and Melody Ferris bought their 10-acre property in 2013, [music]
it was meant to be the beginning of a new era. The two had raised four kids, Chris,
[music] Scott, Emily, and Amanda, and were now grandparents. The idyllic, well-groomed acreage was
lined with a winding black-painted [music] fence and a long gravel road that could take you through the trees,
past the pond, the main house, and all the way up to a huge horse barn. By 2018, [music] Gary and Melody had
owned the place for 5 years. They were in their 50s and had known each other for most of their lives.
And how old were you when you first met Gary? 16. They met in Florence, Alabama.
She first saw him when visiting a church there. He worked at Fuller's Big Star. It was a little grocery store that was
there there in town. It's where that you would run to to go pick up things. They dated for a few
years and then eloped in 1979. Gary was a sophomore at the University of North Alabama studying finance.
Melody also studied there for about a year, but dropped out to start working. Chris was born when I was days before I
was 20 years old. She ended up working at her parents' hardware store. I could take Chris to my parents'
hardware store. He grew up in a hardware store. Did you have warm memories of that? Very
much so. 3 and 1/2 years later, they had their second, Scott. Scott was a handful, but you loved him
anyway. Precious little boy. Meanwhile, Gary decided to study law. We had Emily 1 month to the day before
he graduated law school. Uh we moved to Birmingham. We had Amanda. Gary practiced commercial real estate
law and quickly climbed the ladder at his firm. Melody said Gary was smart. Book smart.
Um workaholic. An absolute workaholic. When Gary opened the firm's office in Atlanta, Melody was a full-time mom. She
took charge of the home and the kids and made sure their upbringing was special,
especially during the holidays. >> [music] >> I understand you're a big Christmas
decorator. Love to decorate my home for Christmas. Think it became more and more
cuz we would have [music] the Christmas party at our house for the law firm. So,
it became more more and more. One home video shows a Ferris family Christmas that could be a scene [music] from a
Hallmark movie. There's a tall Christmas tree covered in ornaments overlooking a happy family
ripping open their gifts. Gary was the provider and patriarch of it all, and he was a big presence. The
people closest to him even called him Big Daddy. The nickname made sense. After all, he
was about 6 ft 4 and nearly 300 lb. Gary had gray hair, a goatee, and this deep, gregarious voice with a Southern
drawl. You could read my dad like a book. Scott talked about his father to investigators in 2018. He's very, very
predictable. He will come in from work. Usually, he will he will stand in the driveway, smoke a cigarette, and he will
go from his bedroom back to the garage, grab a Mountain Dew, grab his briefcase, and go down to the
basement and his office. And he will stay there until dinner's ready. The family revolved around Gary, both as
their father and financier, >> [music] >> the central axle, if you will, in this
Ferris wheel. He's the only person. He makes that astronomical amount of money. But I couldn't give you a certain amount
of what he even makes. I'm not privy to that. >> [music] >> While Gary controlled the money, that
didn't mean he was holding back dollars from his children. >> [music] >> Take oldest son Chris. He was married to
his second wife and had kids from his first marriage. But Melody said Gary [music]
helped him out. I mean he's got a $300 cable bill. Every month he's got, you know, over
$300 cell phone bill. >> [music] >> Now, I don't know whether that's just his or it's him and his two girls. He
just I mean there's airline tickets out the ying yang. [music] Melody said their daughter Emily, who
was married and living in Tennessee, also counted on her dad for help. >> [music]
>> Same goes for Scott. The only adult child who Melody said wasn't depending [music] on Gary was
their youngest daughter Amanda. As detectives put it, Gary was [music] giving away money like it grew on trees.
It sounds like everybody was suckling on the teeth for a farm phrase. They were, except for Amanda.
>> [music] >> As detectives worked to figure out what had happened in the days leading up to
Gary Ferris's [music] murder, they took a deeper look into the family. There was Chris, the oldest. [music]
Back in 2018, he was 38, married, and had two [music] daughters. The second oldest, Scott, turned 35 two
days [music] after the remains were discovered. He was single, living and working [music] on his parents'
property, and didn't have any children. Scott and Chris [music] looked like they could be twins, even
though they're 3 years apart. Emily, their third child [music] and first daughter, was 30.
Married with one young daughter, and she was the only sibling who lived out of state, building a life in Tennessee.
And finally, Amanda, [music] their youngest. At the time, she was 29 and engaged. Her wedding was set for the
upcoming spring. [music] The last time Amanda and Emily saw Gary was the weekend before he disappeared.
The whole family had gotten together to celebrate Gary's 58th birthday. They had a cookout at the farm.
Scott told detectives that the last time he saw his father was at a restaurant called Johnny's Cherokee Ranch, not far
from the farm. This was on July 3rd, two days before finding the human remains. Were y'all
having dinner or did you just run into him there? Um Were y'all having lunch? I was actually having lunch. Uh
I I was having lunch with my mother. He was there already. This is from an interview with Detective Hayes. My dad
eats there lunch. Is that unusual that y'all wouldn't sit together or not? >> Oh yeah, I mean it's
yeah, that's He left before. So, he was already >> was almost done already. >> Yeah, he was almost done already. So,
>> Okay. So, then he left and after that, did he say what he was doing the rest of
the day? >> I didn't I We didn't I mean we see see each other so much, we don't always talk to each other. He said
that he and his mom didn't stay much longer before heading their separate ways. Later in the day, his brother
Chris stopped by the farm with his daughter. She wanted to see Big Daddy. Here's Chris talking to detectives in
2018. We pulled up and he's, you know, I'm working and he said, he's like, "I'm I would hug you, but I'm all hot and
sweaty. I'm just going to kiss you." And told my daughter and she said, "Well, what are you doing?"
Gary was in the midst of collecting items for the burn pile. We were there for maybe 20 to 30
minutes. After Chris and his daughter left, Melody told Detective Hayes that Gary
lit the burn pile. He started it and then he went up to the very front entrance and was messing
around up there. And it's Gary, don't leave that fire. Please don't leave the fire.
She estimated the last time she spoke with him was around 8:00 or 8:30 on the evening of July 3rd.
In a final exchange of words, Melody said she warned him not to leave the burn pile burning. I said, "You are not
going to bed and leaving that fire." How big was the fire when he lit it? Massive.
>> the fire might have been, Melody [music] said something else caught her attention
that night. The horses had escaped the gated pasture. I had two horses who got out, so I was
chasing them. >> [music] >> She called Scott, who spent the day at his friend's lake house. [music]
Scott remembered getting back to the farm that night at around 11:00 [music] or 11:30
when he saw a glow in the distance. Immediately when I pulled in the driveway, I could see the fire going in
the in the woods. He assumed Gary was being irresponsible. Early the next morning, Scott said he
called Melody. He needed the debit card. He and Melody used the same card that had Gary's name on it. She walked it out
to me, handed it to me out the door, and I went, got some cash out of the ATM, came back,
gave her the card, and I left. I went to go play golf. He had a 7:30 a.m. round of golf planned
and then was heading back to his friend's lake house. Melody was heading to the same lake as
Scott, but a different area. She was going to spend the day with her daughter Amanda, along with Amanda's fiance and
his daughter. According to Amanda, Gary didn't accept an earlier invitation to join in the
holiday fun. Melody said they didn't see him when they returned in the evening. In the Ferris family, that was just
normal for Gary. >> [music] >> After spending the 4th of July at the lake, two of the Ferris grandchildren
slept over at the farm. By the time Amanda showed up at the house the next morning, the grandkids
were asking Melody if they could see their grandpa, >> [music] >> Big Daddy. And they said they couldn't find him.
Well, about that time Scott showed up at the house and I said, "Hey, [music] have
you seen your dad over at the barn?" His immediate reaction, there's a gun missing.
He took off and went to the house. Amanda followed [music] him uh immediately. I went on into the house going, "What is
he talking about? What did he say?" Give me a sense of how this story started for you.
Um it was a typical day at [music] the office for me. Uh I We had just finished lunch.
In 2024, Detective Daniel Hayes drove us to the Ferris's family [music] property.
He told me about the moment he got that call. I believe I was in the car with Detective Kuykendall and we we heard the
radio call. What did it say? Um that a body was found in a fire. Uh the family had called uh 911 and said
they had just found their father and his remains in the fire. He was familiar with this affluent
[music] part of Cherokee County and figured what happened here was an accident. It was a hot day in July. We thought,
from what it sounded like, sometimes it happens, somebody's by a fire. It's already 90-something degrees
outside. [music] A medical episode happened and he fell into the fire. >> [music]
>> They didn't even think the case would take long. Detective Kuykendall and I both were,
you know, let's let's go up here and get this knocked out so we can get home in time for dinner.
Once he drove up the Ferris's long driveway, Detective Hayes got out of his car and made his way to the burn pile.
Give me [music] a sense of what you saw as you're walking up to it. Describe it for me. You went past uh their three-car
garage and and uh a big chicken coop and we walked through the backyard. It was wooded.
>> [music] >> Um you know, the trees There was no grass or anything like that and it was a a
downhill gradual downhill slope. Uh and we were taken into this very large pile of shrub of debris
>> [music] >> um that was still smoldering. It's still smoking. And while Detective Hayes had never
[music] investigated a body found in a burn pile before, one thing was certain. This guy didn't have a heart attack or a
heat stroke >> [music] >> and fall into the fire and burn the side of his arm. This guy's been in this fire burning for
quite some time, in my opinion. Which suggested someone must have placed him there? I found it hard to believe that
he could be missing from this property with this affluent family [music] for any length of time
back there burning. You know, um so >> [music] >> that indicated to me that someone likely
possibly knew that he was back there burning and was helping it continue to burn.
What Detective Hayes [music] first thought could have been a tragic accident now looked like a murder.
They brought in canines [music] to help search the property. Detective Hayes went inside the house.
Any evidence whatsoever in the house of a break-in? No. >> [music] >> Any sign of a struggle inside that
house, that a battle had gone on there? The house was other than a few visible drops of blood that were left on the
floor, the house was in pretty immaculate condition. Investigators then checked if there was
more blood, invisible to the naked eye, by spraying a special chemical across the floor.
You spray it on blood and take a picture of it. If there's blood there, it's supposed to glow. They found some on the
floor upstairs. They found [music] some on the floor downstairs in the basement.
They found some on the stairs leading down to the basement on the carpet. [music] There was blood
evidence. >> And does that suggest in any way some sort of progression of an attack on
Gary? That's what we interpreted as as we started looking at it. Spots of blood [music] weren't the only
things they found in the basement. One of Detective Hayes's colleagues later noticed something on the floor.
He sees it. He kind of sees a shiny object or something. [music] Gets closer, looks at it, says, "That's a
bullet." Outside, sheriff's deputies found more evidence. It was pointed out to us that
the tractor was parked in a area, a position that is uncommon. Scott told detectives that the tractor
Gary regularly used was parked in the yard and not under the shed where Gary usually parked. This tractor has been
moved by someone who um left it there on purpose, forgot that, you know, Gary's rules about it. Once
detectives got a closer look, they noticed something. Gary's blood was found on the tractor
around one of the steps. We're talking though a couple of drops, right? Not much. Yeah.
There was also blood on an RTV. Detectives talked to the oldest, Chris Ferris. Chris was already in route to pick up
his daughter from her sleepover at the farm that morning when Amanda called with news that their father was missing.
Chris recounted his movements in an interview with detectives a few weeks after the remains were discovered.
I was mad because nobody seemed to have any sense of urgency about this. Chris said that he was on the RTV
looking for his father when he spotted Melody walking towards the burn pile. He was suspicious no one in the family had
checked that area until after he arrived. >> [music] >> It's like, well, somebody about to find
something out. So, let's get it over with. You know, that's I don't I mean, that's just what pops into my mind.
Like, why >> [music] >> why did it take me getting there for this to happen? Scott also told detectives about
something [music] he thought was strange. Back on the first day of the investigation, Scott noticed more
[music] than just his father was missing. A few weeks before Gary disappeared, [music] Scott said he saw
an unfamiliar .38 snub-nose revolver in [music] a basement drawer. It wasn't a gun that I, you know, grown
up seeing. However, [music] when he searched the house the day of his father's disappearance, the gun was gone.
Later, he told [music] detectives that during that same search, Melody walked up to him holding something that
belonged to Gary. She came back [music] out with his wallet. That didn't sit right with
Scott. He had looked earlier for that wallet because [music] he said his father only kept it in two places, a
dresser or his back pocket. [music] I'm like, "Where did you get this?" "Well, it was in the car. It was
underneath his his cigarettes." [music] He never leaves his wallet underneath cigarettes in the car.
>> [music] >> Detectives spoke to Scott that night until the early morning of July 6th.
That's when Detective Hayes decided to let Scott in >> [music] >> on a major new discovery. I got to tell
you something and it's not easy, but there's no good way to say it. Detective [music] Hayes told Scott that
investigators had recorded a temperature of 230° Fahrenheit [music] in the spot where they found the
remains, destroying a ton of DNA, but the extreme heat hadn't [music] destroyed an ominous
object. They've been excavating and and sifting the ashes. Mhm. They found a piece of ribs
and it has a bullet in it. >> [music] >> So, the evidence is showing that your the remains, if they are in fact your
father's, >> [music] >> has been shot. And it was in the ribs, not the head? Correct. So far, that's what they found.
Did y'all search the house for that .38? >> They're doing it right now. >> [music]
>> Due to the conditions of the remains, the autopsy report would take almost a year to confirm it was Gary Ferris who
had been shot and killed and that it was his body placed in that burn pile. >> [music]
>> He weighed 300 lb, but when the bones were actually the skeletal remains were
actually removed, how much did they weigh? Do you remember? It was uh right around 33, 34 lb, I believe, is what was
recovered of him. And why would somebody want to burn a body? Cover up a crime. Destroy evidence.
Detectives knew for sure they were dealing with a murderer, a missing murder weapon, and that a killer was on
the loose. The Ferris wheel was spinning. Melody told detectives she worried one
of her children might be the killer. That's next time on Blood is Thicker: The Ferris Wheel.
>> [music] >> From 48 Hours, this is Blood is Thicker: The Ferris Wheel produced by Sony Music
Entertainment. [music] I'm your host, Peter Van Sant. Judy Tygard is the executive producer of
48 Hours. Original reporting by 48 Hours producers [music] Betsy Shuler, Ryan Smith, and
Hannah Vere. Jamie Benson is the senior producer [music] for CBS News podcasts and Mara
Waltz is the senior story editor. Recording [music] assistance from Alan Peng and Alana Myers.
Special thanks [music] to CBS News podcast vice president Megan Marcus. Blood is Thicker was written [music] and
produced by Alex Schuman. Stephanie Serrano is our editor. Our executive producer is Shera Morris.
Our associate producer [music] is Zoe Kolkin. Theme and original music composed by
Hansdale She. Cedric Wilson [music] is our sound designer and mixed the episodes.
We also use music [music] from Epidemic Sounds. Fendel Fulton is our fact-checker.
[music] Our production manager is Tamika Balance Kolasinac. If you're enjoying the show, be [music]
sure to rate and review. It helps more people find it and hear our reporting. Thanks for listening.

Gary and Melody Farris raised four children together and settled on a picturesque property outside of Atlanta. But when Gary goes missing, and his remains are found on the grounds of the family farm, investigators quickly determine that what looks like a tragic accident was actually a murder. Every member of the Farris family is under suspicion. Who would want the family patriarch dead?

Get early, ad-free access to episodes of "Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel" by subscribing to 48 Hours+ at 48HoursPodcasts.com.

True crime. Real justice. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

For video licensing inquiries, contact: licensing@veritone.com

Brief Summary

Gary Ferris goes missing, remains found, family secrets emerge.

Key points

Big Daddy is Missing. The Ferris family faces a nightmare when Gary goes missing, leading to shocking discoveries.
The Ferris Wheel of Distrust. Investigators uncover a web of family dysfunction and financial jealousy surrounding Gary's murder.
A Mother's Nightmare. Melody Ferris describes the horror of her husband's disappearance and the ensuing investigation.
Major Discovery Revealed. Detective Hayes informs Scott about a shocking discovery regarding his father's remains.
Evidence of Murder. Investigators find a bullet in the ribs of the remains, indicating a violent death.
A Family's Dark Concern. Melody expresses fear that one of her children might be the killer.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I immediately just set it back down gently. I said, "Back up. I'm calling 911.".

3:29WatchMar 11, 2026

Tension

75/ 100High tension

More from 48 Hours

Solve the Crime

Read a real case one clue at a time, then see how your call held up against the investigators.