Family Secrets Go Round and Round | "Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel" | 48 Hours Podcast Trailer | Forensic Files

Jerk, you got a 911 emergency. On July 5th, 2018, Scott Ferris called 911 >> [music]
>> to report something unsettling. My father has come up missing. Gary Ferris, the beloved family patriarch [music]
known as Big Daddy, hadn't been seen in two days. Something's really off here. So,
that's when we decided to start searching [music] the property. Scott, along with his siblings and
mother, looked everywhere. And that's when they came upon something horrifying. Look, there's human remains down there.
I was like, "Stay away from there." After detectives arrived at the scene, they made an even more chilling
discovery. There's a bullet found lodged in a rib bone. It's a homicide. Absolutely. If this was Gary Ferris,
he'd been shot. But by whom? And why? From the outside, the 10-acre Ferris family farm looked like the kind of
place anyone would be happy to call home. But on the inside, the reality was much
different. I would don't see how anyone can look at this story and think they were happy.
And every member of the Ferris [music] family suddenly looked like a potential suspect. This is horrible, man. I had to
put all of the secrets out on the table. Secrets involving [music] money. Around
4 and 1/2, 5 million. Infidelity. She was the one having the affairs. Not him. And [music] jealousy. I think a
lot of things that have happened in our family get swept under the rug. Much like an actual Ferris wheel, the
blame game went round [music] and round. He just told me that he thinks my mom might be trying to
poison him. You kill your daddy, you set your mother up, she goes to prison, [music] you get
everything. I absolutely had nothing to do with my father's death. I'm Peter Van Sant.
From 48 Hours, this [music] is Blood is Thicker, The Ferris Wheel. It has been called [music] the Ferris
Wheel. And it was, but it was our Ferris Wheel. It was our life. Available wherever
[music] you get your podcast.

After the charred remains of prominent commercial real estate attorney Gary Farris were discovered on a burn pile with a bullet lodged in a rib bone, all signs seemed to suggest that one of Farris’ own family members was responsible for his murder. It turns out this family had a lot of secrets.

Join "48 Hours" correspondent Peter Van Sant for “Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel,” a six-episode podcast that unravels a tangled family saga.

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

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "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.

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Brief Summary

The episode investigates the murder of Gary Ferris and the dark secrets within his family.

Key points

The Disappearance of Gary Ferris. On July 5th, 2018, Scott Ferris reports his father missing, sparking a chilling investigation.
Horrifying Discovery. The Ferris family uncovers human remains on their property, leading to a homicide investigation.
Family Secrets Unveiled. As the investigation unfolds, dark family secrets involving money and infidelity come to light.
A Shocking Accusation. Allegations arise that a family member may have poisoned Gary Ferris, raising the stakes.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Something's really off here.

0:22WatchMar 4, 2026

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