CBS 48 Hours Launches Six-Episode Podcast Reexamining Farris Family Murder

Peter Van Sant will host a six‑episode 48 Hours podcast titled Blood Is Thicker: The Farris Wheel that reexamines the murder of Gary Farris, whose charred remains were discovered on a burn pile with a bullet lodged in a rib bone, prompting a homicide investigation in Cherokee County, Georgia where he lived with his wife, Melody, and their son, Scott.

An exclusive preview published March 4, 2026 announced the series and Apple Podcasts promotes the project with the copy line: “Join 48 Hours correspondent Peter Van Sant for ‘Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel,’ a six-episode podcast that unravels a tangled family saga.” Apple’s 48 Hours listing also reiterates the program’s broader cadence, noting: “Listen to a new ‘48 Hours’ episode every Monday and then go deeper into the case on Tuesdays with the immersive ‘Post Mortem’ series — producers and correspondents join host Anne‑Marie Green to discuss key evidence, dead ends, mishaps, and stranger‑than‑fiction.”

The case details in promotional listings are stark. “When 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, detectives knew they were facing a homicide investigation,” reads an iHeart listing, which adds that the crime scene was located on “a sprawling 10‑acre property in Cherokee County, Georgia.” iHeart’s copy identifies Farris as a “prominent commercial real estate attorney” who “seemed to be a loving husband and father, affectionately called ‘Big Daddy’.”

Promotional materials frame the story as a family saga and a mystery about responsibility. iHeart’s listing says, “Yet, all signs seemed to suggest that one of Gary Farris’ own family members was responsible for his murder,” and that “It turns out this family had a lot of secrets – involving money and infidelity.” The podcast’s title plays on that dynamic: “Much like an actual Ferris wheel, the blame game went round and round,” iHeart writes.

Peter Van Sant has already discussed the project in promotion; the Yahoo/CBS Los Angeles blurb notes, “Peter Van Sant of 48 Hours joins CBS LA to talk about his new true crime podcast, ‘Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel’, that dives into a wild family story after a father was murdered.” 48 Hours has posted a “Blood is Thicker: The Farris Wheel | Sneak Peek” on its YouTube channel, and iHeart’s listing carries the promotional line: “Blood Is Thicker: The Farris Wheel - Coming March 11.”

The listings and preview copy leave key reporting gaps. The available snippets do not name on‑air interview subjects, list production credits, or cite any charges, arrests, trials, or case outcomes. Apple’s listing separately promotes ad‑free early access for another Blood Is Thicker installment, stating, “Get early, ad-free access to episodes of Blood is Thicker: The Hargan Family Killings by subscribing to 48 Hours Plus on Apple Podcasts or Wondery+ on the Wondery app,” a subscription note that applies explicitly to the Hargan series in the Apple copy and is not tied in the listings to the Farris Wheel. For now, CBS’ six‑episode reexamination will deliver 48 Hours’ reporting on the Farris family and the Cherokee County homicide, with promotional previews and a March 11 “coming” date listed in current listings.