A San Diego County man has been charged with fatally poisoning his 65-year-old foster mother before stealing her identity to take her money and property, according to prosecutors.
Cedric Von Ferdinand, 34, is accused of killing Nadine Jett and burying her remains in her Oak Creek Road property, San Diego County Dist. Atty. Summer Stephan said at a Wednesday news conference where prosecutors announced filing more than 30 counts of real estate and other fraud charges against Von Ferdinand.
“This is a case of deadly greed,” Stephan said. “It’s a case where the defendant is already a defendant in real estate fraud involving our victim Nadine.”
An attorney for Von Ferdinand didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Von Ferdinand was arrested Tuesday in Los Angeles County and is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday afternoon on the murder charge, according to Stephan. Jett died from an acute overdose of fentanyl and the manner of death was homicide, according to a toxicology report cited by Stephan.
For years, Jett, a Los Angeles County lawyer, was a foster mother to Ferdinand, Stephan said. Jett was last seen Jan. 14, 2024, when she went to a chemotherapy session to treat her cancer. Investigators believe Jett was killed between Jan. 14 and Jan. 17, 2024.
Investigators searched Jett’s property and found her partially mummified remains buried in a six-foot-by-six-foot hole, according to Stephan. They also discovered that Jett was scheduled for a CT scan on Jan. 19, 2024, but never showed up. Von Ferdinand had allegedly canceled all of her other appointments.
After allegedly killing Jett, prosecutors say, Von Ferdinand committed real estate fraud and theft on her estate, including grand theft, identity theft, forgery and filing false documents with losses over $500,000.
“What happened here is a deadly tragedy and it’s time for accountability,” Stephan added.
Also charged in the case was Kimberley Pifer, who allegedly impersonated Jett and married Von Ferdinand using Jett’s name, according to Stephan.
Jett was diagnosed with cancer in August 2023 and began chemotherapy, according to Stephan. Von Ferdinand told friends that he wanted to move into her home to take care of her. In addition to her Oak Creek Road property, Jett owned two investment properties in Los Angeles County.
Von Ferdinand began telling friends that Jett “wasn’t going to make it” and that she wanted to be cremated without any memorial service, Stephan said.
On Jan. 17, 2024, Von Ferdinand told a caretaker who was supposed to come to the home that her services were no longer needed because Jett had died in Mexico, according to Stephan. Von Ferdinand told the same story to Jett’s other foster children.
But Jett’s foster children grew suspicious when Von Ferdinand couldn’t produce a death certificate for Jett. They reported her missing in June 2024, Stephan said. They also reported suspicious real estate transactions by Von Ferdinand, including quick deeds to himself for all three of Jett’s properties. The San Diego County district attorney’s office began investigating the alleged fraud while the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department began looking into the case as a potential homicide.
Investigators seized the notary journal allegedly associated with Von Ferdinand and discovered that he had allegedly purchased a condo in Gardena using $500,000 in stolen money, according to Stephan. In April 2024, he also allegedly sold one of Jett’s Los Angeles properties, getting more than $200,000.
Investigators searched Von Ferdinand’s property in August 2026 and found the marriage license, which purported to marry Von Ferdinand and Jett in May 2024.
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