Blood Is Thicker: The Farris Wheel - Coming March 11

Summary

Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel – Coming March 11 (Preview Episode)

Podcast: Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel
Host: CBS News
Date: March 4, 2026
Correspondent: Peter Van Sant

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Overview

This preview episode introduces listeners to the gripping case at the heart of "Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel." It sets the stage for a six-part series investigating the murder of Gary Farris, a respected attorney and family patriarch from Cherokee County, Georgia. The discovery of his remains and the subsequent investigation expose a tangled web of family secrets, betrayal, and suspicion, where each family member emerges as a potential suspect. The series promises to unravel a true saga “where the blame game goes round and round, much like a Ferris wheel.”

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Discovery and Initial Shock

• Scott Farris, Gary's son, calls 911 after not seeing his father for two days.
  • Quote (Scott Farris, 00:12): “My father has come up missing.”
• The family searches their 10-acre property and soon finds something horrifying.
  • Quote (Scott Farris, 00:38): “Look, there’s human remains down there. I was like, stay away from there.”

2. The Homicide Investigation Begins

• Detectives arrive and quickly determine the death was a homicide due to a bullet wound.
  • Narration (00:43): “There’s a bullet found lodged in a rib bone. It’s a homicide. Absolutely.”
• The family's idyllic outward appearance contrasts sharply with the grim truth within the household.

3. Every Family Member Under Suspicion

• The investigation reveals that each member could have motivation and opportunity.
  • Narration (00:49): “And every member of the Farris family suddenly looked like a potential suspect.”

4. Secrets Unveiled: Money, Infidelity, and Jealousy

• The family is forced to confront painful secrets in the public eye.
  • Quote (Family Member, 01:29): “This is horrible to have to put all the secrets out on the table.”
• Financial disputes involving large sums:
  • Narration (01:34): “Secrets involving money. Around four and a half, five million.”
• Infidelity and shifting blame:
  • Quote (Scott Farris, 01:39): “She was the one having the affairs, not him.”
• Long-standing jealousy and issues swept under the rug:
  • Quote (Family Member, 01:44): “I think a lot of things that have happened in our family get swept under the rug.”

5. Family Tensions and Accusations

• The family dynamic is likened to a Ferris wheel, symbolizing the cyclical nature of blame.
  • Narration (01:49): “Much like an actual Ferris wheel, the blame game went round and round.”
• Paranoia and shocking accusations come to light:
  • Quote (Scott Farris, 01:56): “He just told me that he thinks my mom might try to poison him.”
  • Quote (Family Member, 02:00): “You kill your daddy. You set your mother up, she goes to prison. You get everything.”
• Scott Farris firmly denies involvement.
  • Quote (Scott Farris, 02:05): “I absolutely had nothing to do with my father’s death.”

6. Emotional Weight and Family Legacy

• Family members reflect on the meaning of the “Ferris wheel” metaphor:
  • Quote (Family Member, 02:16): “It has been called the Ferris wheel, and it was. But it was our Ferris wheel. It was our life.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Scott Farris [00:38]: "Look, there’s human remains down there. I was like, stay away from there."
• Detective/Narrator [00:43]: "There's a bullet found lodged in a rib bone. It's a homicide. Absolutely."
• Family Member [01:29]: "This is horrible to have to put all the secrets out on the table."
• Scott Farris [01:39]: "She was the one having the affairs, not him."
• Family Member [02:00]: "You kill your daddy. You set your mother up, she goes to prison. You get everything."
• Scott Farris [02:05]: "I absolutely had nothing to do with my father’s death."
• Family Member [02:16]: "It has been called the Ferris wheel, and it was. But it was our Ferris wheel. It was our life."

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:01: 911 call and initial discovery by Scott Farris
• 00:38: Discovery of remains on the property
• 00:43: Confirmation of homicide
• 01:29: Family grapples with exposing secrets
• 01:34: Introduction of financial and infidelity secrets
• 01:49: Blame shifting within the family
• 01:56: Allegations and speculation regarding motives
• 02:05: Scott Farris's denial
• 02:16: Reflection on family legacy

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Tone and Promise

The preview is tense, emotional, and loaded with intrigue — echoing the confusion, suspicion, and heartbreak of a family torn apart by violence. Peter Van Sant and CBS News promise an in-depth journey through a Southern family crime story, filled with shocking revelations and heartbreak, beginning March 11.

Transcript

[Narrator]

Cherokee county number one, location of emergency. On July 5, 2018, Scott Farris called 911 to report something unsettling.

[Scott Farris]

My father has come up missing.

[Narrator]

Gary Farris, the beloved family patriarch known as Big Daddy, hadn't been seen in two days.

[Scott Farris]

Something's really off here. So that's when we decided to start searching the property.

[Narrator]

Scott, along with his s siblings and mother, looked everywhere. And that's when they came upon something horrifying.

[Scott Farris]

Look, there's human remains down there. I was like, stay away from there.

[Narrator]

After detectives arrived at the scene, they made an even more chilling discovery. There's a bullet found lodged in a ribbon. 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't 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.

[Family Member]

This is horrible to have to put all the secrets out on the table.

[Narrator]

Secrets involving money. Around four and a half, five million. Infidelity.

[Scott Farris]

She was the one having the affairs, not him.

[Narrator]

And jealousy.

[Family Member]

I think a lot of things that have happened in our family get swept under the rug.

[Narrator]

Much like an actual Ferris wheel. The blame game went round and round.

[Scott Farris]

He just told me that he thinks my mom might try to poison him.

[Family Member]

You kill your daddy. You set your mother up, she goes to prison. You get everything.

[Scott Farris]

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

[Narrator]

I'm Peter van sat from 48 hours. This is Blood is Thicker, the Ferris wheel.

[Family Member]

It has been called the Ferris wheel, and it was. But it was our Ferris wheel. It was our life.

[Narrator]

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.