Inset, left to right: Nadine Jett (KFMB/family photo) and Cedric Von Ferdinand in court on Oct. 21, 2026 (KUSI). Background: Authorities searching for Jett's body on her California property (KNSD).
A 34-year-old California man is accused of poisoning his foster mother and burying her remains on her ranch, then stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her and transferring her properties to himself.
Cedric Von Ferdinand was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 65-year-old Nadine Jett, with special-circumstance allegations that he killed her for financial gain and by administering poison, authorities announced.
"This is a case of deadly greed," San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said at a news conference Wednesday, during which law enforcement outlined allegations that Von Ferdinand exploited Jett's trust as her health deteriorated.
Jett was a retired family law attorney and foster mother who was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer when she was last seen at a chemotherapy appointment on Jan. 14, 2024. Prosecutors believe she was killed sometime after the chemo appointment and before Jan. 17, 2024.
Jett's foster daughters grew suspicious after Von Ferdinand allegedly told them Jett had died in Mexico and been cremated, but he could not provide a death certificate. They reported her missing, prompting an investigation that eventually led authorities to the property where she lived.
Investigators found Jett's bedsheet-wrapped remains in July 2025 in a grave on her roughly 20-acre property in Valley Center. Stephan said the hole was about six feet deep and located roughly 30 yards from the residence.
A medical patch that Jett received on Jan. 14 and was supposed to remove after 27 hours was still on her body, Stephan said. Toxicology testing found a fatal amount of acetylfentanyl, a substance prosecutors said "is commonly found in illicitly manufactured fentanyl."
The medical examiner determined Jett died from acute fentanyl toxicity and classified her death as a homicide.
Investigators also examined activity on the property around the time Jett disappeared. Prosecutors allege someone was asked on Jan. 16, 2024, to dig a hole measuring six feet by six feet, about the same dimensions as the grave in which Jett's remains were found.
Paris Lucci, one of Jett's foster children, spoke to local CBS affiliate KFMB and recounted an unusual detail involving a prospective sale of Jett's ranch. A real estate agent involved in the transaction said Von Ferdinand asked a prospective buyer to plant roses in a particular area.
"And this is the same area where someone else I interviewed said Von Ferdinand was digging from midnight to like 3 a.m.," Lucci told the station.
Prosecutors accuse Von Ferdinand of taking three certificates of deposit worth about $677,000 from Jett's accounts and alleged that he made two wire transfers from her account to an escrow company, using the funds to purchase a home in Gardena, California.
Von Ferdinand allegedly zeroed out Jett's accounts by December 2024.
The alleged scheme also extended to Jett's real estate holdings. Investigators found quitclaim deeds purportedly bearing Jett's signature that transferred multiple properties to Von Ferdinand. Authorities said those documents were likely signed after Jett's death.
Investigators also found a will allegedly signed by Jett naming Von Ferdinand executor and sole beneficiary of her estate. A notary journal contained a thumbprint beside Jett's purported signature that investigators say actually matched Von Ferdinand's.
The investigation also allegedly uncovered a purported marriage certificate stating that Von Ferdinand and Jett had wed. The document was signed and notarized on May 18, 2024, months after the period in which prosecutors believe Jett was killed. A woman is accused of impersonating Jett in connection with the paperwork, according to prosecutors.
"He preyed on her in her time of need when she was suffering from cancer," Stephan said. "It is quite despicable."
Sheriff Kelly Martinez credited the agencies involved in the investigation, saying the case was built through the "hard work and dedication of so many agencies that collaborated."
Von Ferdinand's attorney said in an email that her client denies the allegations. "[Von Ferdinand] denies the allegations and maintains his innocence and, most importantly, his love for his mother," she reportedly wrote to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Von Ferdinand is scheduled to appear in court for his arraignment Thursday.
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