Introducing Blood Is Thicker: The Farris Wheel

3 min

•Mar 18, 2026about 1 month ago

Summary

A true crime investigation into the murder of Gary Ferris, a wealthy family patriarch found shot on his 10-acre farm. The episode explores how family secrets involving millions of dollars, infidelity, and jealousy made every family member a suspect in his death.

Insights

Family wealth and inheritance disputes can create powerful motives for serious crimes
Internal family conflicts often remain hidden until external events force them into the open
Multiple family members can simultaneously appear suspicious when secrets and financial stakes are high
Domestic investigations require examining complex relationship dynamics beyond surface appearances

Trends

True crime podcast expansion into serialized family mystery narrativesAudience interest in wealthy family dysfunction and inheritance-related crimesPodcast platforms becoming primary distribution channels for investigative journalism content

Topics

Homicide investigationFamily inheritance disputesDomestic infidelityFinancial motive for murderCriminal suspect identificationFamily secrets and deceptionRural property crimes

Companies

Odyssey

Free podcast app platform distributing the Blood is Thicker series

People

Peter Van Sant

Host and narrator of the Blood is Thicker: The Ferris Wheel podcast series

Gary Ferris

Wealthy family patriarch found murdered on his 10-acre farm in July 2018

Scott Ferris

Son who called 911 to report his father Gary Ferris missing on July 5, 2018

Quotes

"My father has come up missing."

Scott Ferris•Opening

"Something's really off here."

Narrator•Early investigation

"There's a bullet found lodged in a rib bone. It's a homicide."

Detectives•Crime discovery

"I don't see how anyone can look at this story and think they were happy."

Unknown family member•Family analysis

"I absolutely had nothing to do with my father's death."

Unknown family member•Suspect denial

Full Transcript

Jerry, you got it. I've won the patient of your emergency. On July 5th, 2018, Scott Ferris called 911 to report something unsettling. My father has come up missing. Gary Ferris, the beloved family patriarch 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 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. Detectives discovered Gary had 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 don see how anyone can look at this story and think they were happy And every member of the Ferris family suddenly looked like a potential suspect This is horrible to have to put on all the secrets out on the table. Secrets involving money. Around four and a half, five million. Infidelity. She was the one having the affairs, not him. And 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 and round. He just told me that he thinks my mom might try to poison him. You kill your daddy, you set your mother up, she goes to prison, you get everything. I absolutely had nothing to do with my father's death. I'm Peter Van Sant. From 48 Hours, this is Blood is Thicker, the Ferris Wheel. It has been called the Ferris Wheel. And it was, but it was our Ferris Wheel. It was our life. Blood is Thicker, the Ferris Wheel, is coming soon to a podcast app near you. You can follow and listen to Blood is Thicker, the Ferris Wheel on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. you