LOS ANGELES, CA – A 34-year-old man has been charged with first-degree murder with special circumstances in the death of his foster mother, a Los Angeles County attorney whose remains were found buried on a rural property in Valley Center, San Diego County prosecutors said.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan announced that Cedric Von Ferdinand is accused of killing Nadine Jett, 64 or 65, who was being treated for cancer. The special circumstances alleged are murder for financial gain and murder by poison.
Von Ferdinand’s arraignment was scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Vista courthouse of the San Diego County Superior Court. The hearing was continued to Nov. 5, and no plea was entered.
Prosecutors also allege he forged documents to transfer Jett’s three properties into his own name and used about $500,000 in stolen money to buy a condominium in Gardena. He was arrested in Los Angeles County.
Last seen at chemotherapy appointment
Prosecutors said Jett was diagnosed with cancer in August 2023. She was last seen alive on Jan. 14, 2024, at a chemotherapy appointment.
According to prosecutors, she was killed between Jan. 14 and Jan. 17, 2024. They said Von Ferdinand asked someone on Jan. 16 to dig a hole about 6 feet by 6 feet.
On Jan. 17, prosecutors said, Von Ferdinand told Jett’s scheduled caregiver that she had died. He then canceled her caregiving services and medical appointments, according to the district attorney’s account.
Prosecutors also said he told her relatives she had died and had been cremated in Mexico.
Remains found on Oak Creek Road property
The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office served a search warrant at about 5 a.m. on July 16, 2025, at a residence in the 14800 block of Oak Creek Road in Valley Center, according to the department’s death investigation update. Investigators found skeletal remains buried on the 20-acre property, and the Medical Examiner later confirmed they were Jett’s. No arrests had been made at that time.
Prosecutors said the remains were about 30 yards from her home. They were wrapped in a bedsheet in a hole about 6 feet deep.
The Sheriff’s Homicide Unit led the investigation, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service was among the agencies involved in the case.
Medical Examiner rules death a homicide
The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the cause of death acute fentanyl toxicity, including acetyl fentanyl, and the manner of death a homicide. A toxicology report released in April 2026 was part of that finding.
Stephan said the toxicology showed “a massive amount of acetylfentanyl.” She said acetyl fentanyl is common in illicitly manufactured fentanyl. The district attorney said the poison special circumstance rests on the toxic level of fentanyl found in Jett.
“This is a case of deadly greed,” Stephan said at a news conference. She said Von Ferdinand “preyed on her in her time of need when she was suffering from cancer. It is quite despicable.”
Forgery and theft allegations
Prosecutors said Von Ferdinand already faced felony counts of grand theft, identity theft, forgery and filing false documents. They put the losses at more than $500,000.
According to prosecutors, he used a power of attorney bearing Jett’s apparent signature to transfer her Valley Center ranch and two Los Angeles County properties to himself. They also said he siphoned thousands of dollars from her accounts and tried to sell all three properties.
Prosecutors said a thumbprint in a notary journal attributed to Jett was later determined to be Von Ferdinand’s. They allege about $500,000 in stolen funds paid for the Gardena condominium.
Two co-defendants charged
Kimberley Pifer is charged with forgery and identity theft counts. Prosecutors allege she posed as Jett and married Von Ferdinand under Jett’s name on a marriage license dated May 18, 2024, which was signed and notarized after Jett’s death. Pifer is not charged with murder.
Raymond Joseph Alto, 46, an Escondido notary public, is charged with notarizing documents bearing Jett’s forged signature.
Separately, the Sheriff’s Department reported in a July 2025 release that deputies from the Valley Center Substation went to the 15000 block of Woods Valley Road on July 10, 2025. They were responding to a missing person call, and they found a deceased person with signs of trauma inside a trailer on the property. The information available does not indicate that the case is connected to Jett’s.
Defense denies the allegations
Von Ferdinand’s attorney, Ashley Mangold, denied the allegations on his behalf. She said he maintains his innocence and his love for Jett.
One of Jett’s four foster daughters said Jett gave the sisters a fair chance at life after they had been in multiple foster homes.
If convicted of first-degree murder with the special circumstances, Von Ferdinand faces life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, according to prosecutors. An arrest is not a conviction, and the allegations remain subject to the criminal court process.
Next court date is Nov. 5
Von Ferdinand is due back in court in Vista on Nov. 5, and he has not yet entered a plea. Pifer’s arraignment was set for a later date.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department.
