A California foster son allegedly returned to live with his cancer-stricken mother so he could poison her and take control of her fortune, prosecutors say.
Cedric Von Ferdinand, 34, was charged last week with murdering his foster mother, Nadine Jett, 65, while she was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer in January 2024.
Jett was diagnosed in August 2023. After learning that she would face gruelling chemotherapy, Von Ferdinand volunteered to move into her ranch in Valley Center, California, to care for her.
What appeared to be an act of support was allegedly part of a plan to seize Jett’s estate, including her 20-acre ranch and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Shortly after moving in, Von Ferdinand allegedly told Jett’s loved ones that she planned to travel to Mexico for specialised treatment. He also claimed she wanted to be cremated without a funeral when she died.
Prosecutors said Jett was last seen leaving for a chemotherapy appointment on January 14, 2024. Von Ferdinand later told her relatives that she had died in Mexico.
The account soon drew suspicion because Von Ferdinand could not provide a death certificate. Jett’s relatives “began to smell a rat” and suspected foul play, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan said at a press conference.
Von Ferdinand had already faced felony charges of forgery and identity theft connected to Jett’s disappearance. He was out of custody when prosecutors announced the murder charge against him on Wednesday.
Prosecutors said the case escalated after an autopsy found a large amount of fentanyl in Jett’s system. A medical examiner determined that she died from acute fentanyl toxicity.
Cedric Von Ferdinand, 34, allegedly moved in with his cancer-stricken foster mother, poisoned her and sought to take her fortune, prosecutors say
Nadine Jett was diagnosed with cancer in August 2023 before her foster son allegedly poisoned her with fentanyl and buried her on the ranch
Announcing the charges, Stephan described Jett’s alleged killing as “a case of deadly greed.”
Prosecutors said Von Ferdinand obtained power of attorney over Jett’s estate soon after she disappeared, using documents bearing her signature and initials.
He allegedly transferred ownership of two of Jett’s properties to himself and emptied her bank accounts, taking hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In another alleged attempt to gain control of the estate, Von Ferdinand planned to recruit a woman to impersonate Jett so he could “marry” his foster mother, prosecutors said.
He also allegedly used Jett’s money to buy two homes in Los Angeles.
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Although relatives were told that Jett had died in Mexico, her four daughters became suspicious and reported her missing to police in June 2024.
In July 2025, sheriff’s deputies discovered Jett’s body wrapped in a bedsheet and buried in a hole near her home.
Jett was allegedly killed while battling pancreatic cancer
Cedric Von Ferdinand previously faced felony identity theft and forgery charges linked to his foster mother’s death before prosecutors upgraded the case to murder last week
Work crews seen excavating the hole where Jett’s body was found on her California ranch
Authorities allegedly found Von Ferdinand had hired someone to dig a six-foot-by-six-foot hole on the property in Valley Center on January 16, 2024, two days after Jett was last seen alive.
Announcing the murder charges on Wednesday, Stephan described Von Ferdinand’s alleged plot as ‘despicable.’
‘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.’
Tiffany Lucci, another of Jett’s adopted daughters, pictured crying as prosecutors brought charges against Von Ferdinand
Prosecutors also charged Escondido-based notary public Raymond Joseph Alto, 46, with helping Von Ferdinand to fake the marriage license and other documents.
Two of Jett’s foster children, sisters Tiffany and Bianca Lucci, were also at the press conference.
‘She was that mom we needed,’ Bianca Lucci, told NBC San Diego. ‘She gave us a fair chance at life.’
‘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.’
Von Ferdinand is set to be arraigned on murder charges in San Diego County, California, on November 5. He has not yet pleaded to the murder charges.
In a statement to the San Diego Union Tribune, Von Ferdinand’s attorney Ashley Mangold said he ‘maintains his innocence and, most importantly, his love for his mother.’