A California man is facing a murder charge after allegedly poisoning his foster mother, burying her body near her home and fabricating a marriage certificate in an effort to seize control of her assets.
Cedric Von Ferdinand, 34, allegedly told his foster sisters that Nadine Jett had died while he was caring for her during her battle with pancreatic cancer and that her body had been cremated in Mexico.
Prosecutors charged him Wednesday after an autopsy revealed a high concentration of fentanyl in Jett’s system. The medical examiner determined that the 65-year-old died from acute fentanyl toxicity and classified the death as a homicide.
Jett was undergoing chemotherapy when she disappeared in January 2024. Von Ferdinand, her foster son and caregiver, allegedly told her other foster children that she had succumbed to her illness in Mexico and had been cremated. However, he was unable to provide a death certificate.
Not long afterward, Von Ferdinand obtained power of attorney through paperwork that purportedly carried Jett’s signature and initials.
He allegedly drained thousands of dollars from her bank accounts and transferred ownership of two of her properties to himself.
Investigators also accuse him of using money from Jett’s accounts to buy another property in Los Angeles County.
The alleged scheme also involved recruiting a woman identified as Kim Fifer to impersonate Jett, allowing Von Ferdinand to “marry” his foster mother and gain additional control over her assets.
Investigators found a forged, notarized marriage license dated May 18, 2024, inside Von Ferdinand’s home. San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan described the case as “deadly greed.”
Jett’s other foster daughters, the Lucci quadruplets, began to suspect something was wrong and reported her missing in June 2024.
An investigator with the San Diego District Attorney’s Office said one of the sisters had tried to visit Jett before her disappearance, but Von Ferdinand repeatedly gave them reasons not to come.
FIND OUT MORE: Mr Tumble Criminal Record: Is Justin Fletcher Arrested?
In July 2025, sheriff’s deputies discovered Jett’s body wrapped in a bedsheet and buried in a hole about 30 feet from her Valley Center home.
Investigators later learned that Von Ferdinand had hired someone on Jan. 16, 2024, to dig a hole measuring 6 feet by 6 feet on the property.
Von Ferdinand had already been charged with dozens of felony offenses connected to the alleged scheme, including forgery and identity theft, but he had remained out of custody. Stephan called the alleged plot “despicable.”
“What happened here is a deadly tragedy and it’s time for accountability,” Stephan said. “His deadly greed led to this horrific homicide.”
She added, “He preyed on her in her time of need when she was suffering from cancer. It is quite despicable.”
The four sisters said they are devastated by their foster mother’s death and want justice. They had moved through 10 foster homes before Jett took them in and gave them an opportunity for a more stable life.
“She was the mom we needed. She gave us a fair chance at life,” Bianca Lucci told NBC San Diego. “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.”
“This is a case of greed. He never cared about Nadine, and now he gets to sit and rot in jail,” Tiffany Lucci said.
Von Ferdinand was scheduled to be arraigned on the murder charge Thursday at the Vista Courthouse in San Diego County.
Pifer and Escondido-based notary public Raymond Joseph Alto, 46, are also charged in connection with the fake marriage license and other fake documents.
