VALLEY CENTER, CA. (THECOUNT) — Cedric Von Ferdinand, 34, has been charged with first-degree murder in the alleged fentanyl poisoning death of his foster mother, Nadine Jett, a 65-year-old California attorney whose partially mummified remains were discovered buried on her rural property more than a year after she disappeared. Prosecutors allege Von Ferdinand killed Jett to gain control of her estate, then used her identity to obtain money and property.
Von Ferdinand was arrested in Los Angeles County on Oct. 20, 2026, after investigators developed evidence linking Jett’s death to an alleged scheme involving financial fraud, forged documents and the transfer of her real estate holdings. The case centers on Jett’s 20-acre property in Valley Center, in northern San Diego County, northeast of the San Diego metropolitan area.
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Jett was diagnosed with cancer in August 2023. When she learned she would need chemotherapy, Von Ferdinand volunteered to move back into her home, according to San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan. Prosecutors allege the arrangement was part of a plan to take control of Jett’s finances rather than an effort to care for her.
Investigators believe Jett was killed between Jan. 14 and Jan. 17, 2024. She was last seen alive on Jan. 14, after attending a chemotherapy appointment.
Three days later, Von Ferdinand allegedly told Jett’s caretaker that she had died and that the caretaker’s services were no longer needed. He also canceled her future medical appointments, prosecutors said. Other relatives were reportedly told that Jett had traveled to Mexico and died there.
Those explanations raised suspicions among Jett’s loved ones, who could not obtain a death certificate. In June 2024, several of her foster children reported her missing and alerted authorities to suspicious real estate transactions involving her properties.
Partially mummified remains found in backyard grave:
On July 16, 2025, San Diego County sheriff’s detectives searched Jett’s property on Oak Creek Road and discovered human remains buried in a hole about 30 yards from her residence. Authorities later confirmed the remains belonged to Jett.
Prosecutors said investigators learned that someone had been asked to dig a hole measuring approximately six feet by six feet around the time she disappeared. Jett’s body had been wrapped in a bedsheet and left in a makeshift grave.
An autopsy and toxicology testing determined that Jett died from acute fentanyl toxicity, with her death classified as a homicide, according to prosecutors. Stephan said testing detected a massive amount of acetylfentanyl, a substance associated with illicitly manufactured fentanyl.
The murder charge includes special-circumstance allegations that Jett was killed for financial gain and by administering poison. Von Ferdinand also faces previously filed felony charges involving alleged grand theft, identity theft, forgery and the filing of false documents. Prosecutors have said the alleged financial losses exceeded $500,000.
Investigators allege forged marriage documents:
The investigation also uncovered a marriage license issued in May 2024 in the names of Jett and Von Ferdinand, months after investigators believe she was killed. Prosecutors allege that Kimberley Pifer impersonated Jett to help obtain the license. Pifer has faced separate charges related to alleged forgery and identity theft.
A notary public, Raymond Joseph Alto, has also been charged in connection with documents prosecutors allege carried Jett’s forged signature. The allegations involving Pifer and Alto are separate from the murder charge against Von Ferdinand.
At a news conference announcing the murder charge, Stephan described the alleged conduct as a betrayal of a woman who had taken in a child in need. Jett’s foster daughters, including sisters Tiffany Lucci and Bianca Lucci, also attended the event.
“She was that mom we needed,” Bianca Lucci said. “She gave us a fair chance at life.”
Von Ferdinand’s arraignment was delayed, with a new court date reported for Nov. 5. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Jett’s remains were found on her property along Oak Creek Road in Valley Center, a rural community in San Diego County, California.
Google Maps: Oak Creek Road, Valley Center, CA (approximate area)
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