A California man has been charged with murdering the foster mother who took him into her home, with prosecutors alleging he poisoned her with fentanyl, buried her body on her own property and then stole hundreds of thousands of dollars using her identity.
Cedric von Ferdinand, 34, was arrested Tuesday, October 20, in connection with the death of Nadine Jett, a retired attorney who had been battling pancreatic cancer when she mysteriously disappeared in January 2024.
The case has taken a disturbing turn following the discovery of toxicology evidence that investigators say proves Jett did not die naturally from her illness, as her foster son had allegedly led relatives to believe.
Instead, prosecutors say she was deliberately given a fatal amount of fentanyl before her remains were hidden in a six-foot-deep grave on her sprawling 20-acre property in Valley Center, northeast of San Diego.
“This is a case of deadly greed,” San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan declared during an October 21 news conference.
According to investigators, Jett had been a successful attorney in Los Angeles County who spent years providing a home to foster children, including von Ferdinand.
When she was diagnosed with cancer in August 2023, von Ferdinand moved into her home, supposedly to help care for her during treatment.
But prosecutors now believe he used that position of trust to take advantage of her declining health and gain access to her substantial assets.
Jett was last seen alive January 14, 2024, when she attended a chemotherapy appointment.
Investigators believe she was killed sometime between January 14 and January 17.
Around the same period, von Ferdinand allegedly began telling family members and friends that Jett’s condition had deteriorated and that she was unlikely to survive.
He reportedly claimed she wanted to be cremated without a funeral.
A home healthcare worker was also allegedly told that Jett had died in Mexico and that her services were no longer needed.
But Jett’s other foster children soon began questioning his explanations.
They became suspicious when von Ferdinand could not produce a death certificate or provide convincing information about their mother’s supposed death.
Even more troubling were changes involving Jett’s finances and property records.
Family members discovered that real estate connected to their mother appeared to have been transferred into von Ferdinand’s name under questionable circumstances.
In June 2024, they reported her missing and alerted authorities to the suspicious financial transactions.
What began as an investigation into a missing woman and possible financial fraud eventually became a homicide case.
In July 2025, investigators searching Jett’s Valley Center property discovered her remains buried near the residence.
The discovery confirmed the family’s worst fears, but determining exactly how she died required additional forensic testing.
According to prosecutors, toxicology results later revealed an unusually large amount of acetylfentanyl in Jett’s system.
Acetylfentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid associated with illicitly manufactured drugs rather than standard pharmaceutical fentanyl.
The San Diego County medical examiner determined that Jett died from acute fentanyl toxicity and classified her death as a homicide.
Investigators have not publicly explained exactly how they believe von Ferdinand administered the substance.
The toxicology findings, combined with financial evidence and other investigative discoveries, led prosecutors to file a first-degree murder charge with special allegations involving poisoning and financial gain.
But the alleged financial scheme extended far beyond transferring a few bank accounts.
Investigators say von Ferdinand used forged documents, identity theft and fraudulent property transactions to gain control of assets belonging to Jett.
Among the allegations is that he used approximately $500,000 in stolen funds to purchase a condominium in Gardena, California.
Prosecutors also say he sold one of Jett’s Los Angeles properties in April 2024, months after her suspected death, collecting more than $200,000.
The investigation uncovered an even stranger detail.
Authorities allegedly found a marriage certificate dated May 2024 that purported to show von Ferdinand marrying his foster mother, despite investigators believing she had already been dead for several months.
Prosecutors claim another woman, Kimberley Pifer, impersonated Jett for the fraudulent marriage paperwork.
Pifer has been charged with identity theft and forgery, but she is not accused of participating in the murder.
A notary public, Raymond Joseph Alto, also faces charges related to allegedly fraudulent documents involving Jett’s property and identity.
Authorities allege that a thumbprint appearing in a notary journal as Jett’s actually belonged to von Ferdinand.
The financial investigation has resulted in dozens of felony allegations involving forgery, identity theft, grand theft and other offenses, with prosecutors estimating losses exceeding $500,000.
For Jett’s surviving foster children, the case represents an especially painful betrayal of a woman who had spent much of her life helping young people in need.
During the district attorney’s news conference, several family members attended to speak about the woman they had known as their mother.
Bianca Lucci recalled how Jett welcomed her and her sisters into her home after they had moved through numerous foster placements.
Before meeting Jett, the sisters had reportedly lived in 10 different foster homes.
“She was the mom we needed,” Lucci said. “She gave us a fair chance at life.”
Her sister Tiffany also expressed anger that someone Jett had helped raise was now accused of taking advantage of her during a serious illness.
The family believes money was behind the killing, although von Ferdinand’s motive remains an allegation that prosecutors must prove in court.
His defense attorney, Ashley Mangold, has rejected the accusations, saying her client maintains his innocence and continues to love his foster mother.
Von Ferdinand appeared in a Vista courtroom Thursday, October 22, but his arraignment was postponed after the defense requested additional time.
He is now scheduled to return to court November 5.
No plea has been entered on the murder charge, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
For Jett’s family, the prosecution represents a long-awaited development after more than two years of uncertainty, suspicious financial discoveries and the devastating recovery of her remains.
The woman they remember was not simply a successful attorney with valuable property. She was someone who opened her home to children who needed stability, security and love.
Now, investigators allege that one of the people she helped raise exploited that trust during her most vulnerable moments.
