LOS ANGELES, CA — California prosecutors say a man poisoned his foster mother with fentanyl, buried her body on her rural property and then used forged documents and stolen money to try to take over her estate.
The victim, 64-year-old Los Angeles County attorney Nadine Jett, disappeared while undergoing cancer treatment. Authorities say what first looked like a missing-person case eventually uncovered a homicide, buried remains, alleged identity theft and a pattern of financial deception that stretched across more than a year.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan called it “a case of deadly greed” during a news conference Wednesday, when officials described how investigators pieced together the allegations against Cedric Von Ferdinand, 34.
How investigators say Jett vanished during cancer treatment
Jett was diagnosed with cancer in August 2023 and began chemotherapy soon after, according to prosecutors. Von Ferdinand, who prosecutors say was living with her in Valley Center to help care for her, is now accused of using that access to position himself for financial gain.
Prosecutors say he told friends and relatives that Jett’s condition was getting worse and that she wanted to be cremated without a funeral. Jett was last seen alive on Jan. 14, 2024, when she went to a chemotherapy appointment.
Three days later, prosecutors say, Von Ferdinand told her caretaker that she had died. He then canceled future medical visits and caregiving services. He allegedly told other relatives that she had gone to Mexico and died there.
Family suspicion led police to a missing-person case
Jett’s foster children became suspicious when Von Ferdinand could not produce a death certificate, prosecutors said. In June 2024, they reported her missing and also alerted authorities to questionable real estate activity tied to her properties.
That tip helped move the case beyond a simple disappearance. Detectives with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office began examining Jett’s finances and property records while also searching the 20-acre Valley Center property where she lived on Oak Creek Road.
Prosecutors said the investigation pointed to a deliberate effort to make Jett appear dead and to gain control over her assets. They described the case as involving family trust, medical vulnerability and a timeline that became increasingly difficult to explain.
Remains found buried near the Valley Center home
In July 2025, investigators found Jett’s partially mummified remains wrapped in a bedsheet and buried in a six-foot-deep hole about 30 yards from her home, prosecutors said. Officials also learned that someone had been asked to dig a hole on the property around the time Jett disappeared.
An autopsy and toxicology test later determined that she died of acute fentanyl toxicity. Stephan said the testing identified acetylfentanyl, a substance associated with illicit fentanyl, rather than a pharmaceutical medication.
The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. Prosecutors believe Jett was killed sometime between Jan. 14 and Jan. 17, 2024, narrowing the window to the days immediately after she was last seen alive.
Prosecutors describe a stolen estate and forged documents
Authorities say the alleged scheme did not stop at Jett’s death. As investigators reviewed financial records, they say they found evidence of identity theft, fraudulent property transfers and forged paperwork used to drain her estate.
Prosecutors allege Von Ferdinand transferred Jett’s three properties into his name and used about $500,000 in stolen funds to buy a condominium in Gardena, south of Los Angeles. They also say he sold one of her Los Angeles County properties and collected more than $200,000 from that sale.
In August 2026, a search of Von Ferdinand’s Gardena home turned up a marriage license that appeared to show he and Jett had married in May 2024, months after prosecutors believe she died. Investigators say Kimberley Pifer impersonated Jett to obtain the document.
Murder charge, fraud counts and family reaction
Von Ferdinand was arrested Tuesday, Oct. 20, and charged with first-degree murder. The complaint includes special circumstance allegations of financial gain and poisoning, along with a long list of theft, forgery and fraud charges.
His attorney, Ashley Mangold, has denied the allegations and says he maintains his innocence. Von Ferdinand remains in custody without bail while the case moves forward, and his arraignment, originally set for Thursday, Oct. 22, was postponed until Nov. 5.
At Wednesday’s news conference, Jett’s foster daughters, Bianca and Tiffany Lucci, remembered her as the mother who stepped in after they had gone through about 10 foster homes. They said she was the parent they needed, even as prosecutors laid out what they say was a carefully planned effort to profit from her death.
