SAN DIEGO (CNS) — A man who allegedly poisoned his foster mother by providing her with a lethal dose of fentanyl, then allegedly buried her remains at her Valley Center property and began using her identity to siphon hundreds of thousands of dollars from her accounts, has been charged with murder.
Cedric Von Ferdinand, 34, is accused in the death of 65-year-old Nadine Jett, a retired attorney who was battling pancreatic cancer just before she went missing around late 2023 to early 2024.
Her disappearance prompted sheriff's investigators to search her 20-acre Oak Creek Road property last year, where they found her buried remains.
Her cause of death was initially uncertain, but months before the body's discovery, Von Ferdinand allegedly told relatives and friends that Jett had died from cancer and been cremated, though no death certificate could be produced to corroborate that, according to prosecutors.
In announcing the murder charge Wednesday, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said toxicology samples that were part of Jett's autopsy revealed a massive amount of acetylfentanyl in her system, which Stephan said is found in illicit fentanyl rather than pharmaceutical grade fentanyl.
Those amounts caused a fatal overdose that led a medical examiner to opine a cause of death of acute fentanyl toxicity and homicide as the manner of death, Stephan said.
Von Ferdinand, who had been acting as Jett's caregiver around the time of her disappearance, was already facing felony charges that include forgery and identity theft related to allegedly stealing her identity and taking her money and properties. Von Ferdinand was held to answer on nearly three dozen felony counts last year and has remained out of custody.
Following the filing of the murder count, he was arrested Tuesday in Los Angeles County and is due to be arraigned on the new count Thursday.
Along with murder, he faces special circumstance allegations of killing Jett for financial gain and administering poison. If convicted, he faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, should prosecutors pursue capital punishment.
"What happened here is a deadly tragedy and it's time for accountability," Stephan said. "His deadly greed led to this horrific homicide. He preyed on her in her time of need when she was suffering from cancer. It is quite despicable."
The last time Jett was seen alive was Jan. 14, 2024 during a chemotherapy session, according to Stephan. The criminal complaint filed against Von Ferdinand alleges she was killed sometime between Jan. 14 and Jan. 17.
Stephan said investigators discovered that Von Ferdinand solicited someone on Jan. 16 to dig a 6-feet-by-6-feet hole on the Valley Center property. Jett's remains were found in a hole with comparable dimensions about 30 yards from her home.
After January of 2024, Von Ferdinand was given power of attorney through documents bearing Jett's apparent signature and initials, according to testimony from a preliminary hearing held last year.
Jett's ranch, as well as two properties she owned in Los Angeles County, were transferred to him, and Von Ferdinand also purchased another residence in Los Angeles County, allegedly with money wired from Jett's bank account. Prosecutors also say Von Ferdinand siphoned thousands of dollars from Jett's accounts on a regular basis until about mid-2024.
Von Ferdinand's defense attorneys argued at the hearing that Jett willingly transferred her money and properties to him.
Von Ferdinand had allegedly claimed to Jett's foster daughters that Jett had died in Mexico and been cremated, but the sisters reported her missing in June of 2024 after finding Von Ferdinand's claims suspicious, Stephan said.
At the preliminary hearing, a District Attorney's Office investigator testified that the sisters tried to see Jett in person just before she disappeared, but Von Ferdinand regularly provided reasons why they could not come.
Bianca Lucci, one of the four sisters, said Wednesday that Jett took them in after they'd been in and out of 10 separate foster homes.
"She was the mom we needed. She gave us a fair chance at life," Lucci said. "I'm glad justice will finally be served. I do believe that this was all out of greed and money and it's just sad."
Charges were also announced Wednesday against Kimberley Pifer, a woman who allegedly impersonated Jett and married Von Ferdinand under Jett's name. Their marriage license was discovered in Von Ferdinand's home, which was signed and notarized on May 18, 2024, said Stephan, who said Pifer was at one time living at the Valley Center property.
She faces charges of forgery and identity theft. She is out of custody and slated to be arraigned next week.
Also charged is Escondido-based notary public Raymond Joseph Alto, 46,, who is accused of notarizing documents that prosecutors allege bore Jett's forged signature. Next to Jett's purported signature in a notary journal belonging to Alto is a thumbprint that was claimed to be Jett's, but was later determined to be Von Ferdinand's, according to preliminary hearing testimony.
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