In November 1996, a brutal double murder in the quiet Florida town of Eustis would expose one of the strangest criminal cases of the decade.

At the center was sixteen-year-old Rod Ferrell, a troubled teenager from Kentucky who called himself Vesago, claimed to be a centuries-old vampire, and surrounded himself with a group of teenagers immersed in blood rituals, cemeteries, and a dark world of supernatural fantasy.

But when Richard Wendorf and Ruth Queen were found murdered in their own home, investigators began unraveling a story far more disturbing than the sensational headlines suggested.

What began as a teenage fascination with vampires had become entangled with manipulation, violence, family dysfunction, and a desperate journey across state lines. And as investigators pieced together what happened, questions emerged about the people surrounding Rod, particularly fifteen-year-old Heather Wendorf, whose parents had been killed.

In this episode of The Southern Blueprint Podcast, we travel from western Kentucky to the small town of Eustis, Florida, and even the local Hardees, examining the troubled Rod Ferrell, and the Vampire Clan.

Was this a murder driven by occult beliefs, or did the vampire mythology conceal something much more human?

For more on this case, join us at The Hidden Pine Lodge on Patreon, where our exclusive podcast companion features additional interviews, documentaries, original courtroom footage, books, and lesser-known details that didn't make the episode.