Atlanta Attorney Found Dead After "Mysteriously" Vanishing, Revealing "Family Deeply Divided By Jealousy"
After Gary “Big Daddy” Farris disappeared, his remains were found on his family's estate in Alpharetta, Georgia, kicking off an investigation that unveiled "greed"-motivated family rifts.
Prominent Atlanta attorney Gary Farris was like Santa Claus for his family, always willing to help out a relative in need.
But when Farris vanished and then turned up dead, some of those closest to him were suddenly eyed by authorities trying to piece together the cold-blooded crime, according to a new Dateline airing on Friday January 17 at 9/8c p.m. on NBC.
“After Gary ‘Big Daddy’ Farris mysteriously disappears, his family discovers his remains on their sprawling 10-acre estate," a synopsis for the episode, titled “A Little Patch of Perfect,” reads. "An investigation reveals a family deeply divided by jealousy and greed, but did one of them kill Big Daddy?”
Who was Gary Farris?
Farris, a successful Atlanta-area attorney, seemed like the ideal family man, always stepping in to help.
“If somebody needed a loan, or more likely a gift, Gary was there with a swipe from a credit card,” Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison says in a voiceover in a preview of the episode. “Now, just like that, this family Santa Claus was gone.”
What happened to Gary Farris?
At the age of 58, Farris was killed. His remains were discovered on the family’s property in Alpharetta, Georgia, in 2018.
The focus of the investigation soon turned to those who knew him best — and there seemed to be one central issue at play.
“In some shape or form, Gary had close ties or disagreements with all the family members relating to money,” Ashley Pope, who was a sheriff's detective at the time, told Dateline.
A complex murder mystery
In describing the tough job investigators had in narrowing down who many have wanted Farris dead, Morrison compared the case to a murder mystery novel.
“It’s almost like an Agatha Christie story,” Morrison said in the episode preview. “You’ve got a confined space and all those people are warring amongst themselves and the man who controls the money is suddenly dead.”
The story also made Morrison think of a certain mystery film.
“This story reminded me of the movie Knives Out," he told NBC Insider of the twisted family tale.
The case culminated with what Morrison described to NBC Insider as “one of the most bizarre courtroom scenes ever.”
As Morrison covered the mystery, he spoke with the victim's sons, Chris and Scott Farris, as well as Farris' brother John Farris, and his sister Sherry Farris for the two-hour episode.
To find out who would ultimately be linked to the murder — and all the dark secrets uncovered along the way — watch Dateline Friday at 9/8c p.m. on NBC or stream the episode on Peacock after it becomes available the next day.
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