A 34-year-old man has been arrested and charged with fentanyl poisoning and the subsequent burial of his adoptive mother, after carrying out a calculated plot to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets.
The San Diego County District Attorney’s Office held a press conference announcing the arrest and 1급 (first-degree) murder charges against Cedric Von Ferdinand (34). Ferdinand is accused of administering a fatal dose of fentanyl to his adoptive mother, Nadine Jett (64 at the time of her disappearance), before burying her body on their residential property.
The victim, Jett, was a prominent family law attorney who practiced in Los Angeles County. Investigators believe the adopted son meticulously planned and prepared the crime over several months, driven entirely by financial greed.
Jett was diagnosed with cancer in August 2023 and began undergoing chemotherapy treatments. At that time, Ferdinand moved into Jett’s residence located in Valley Center, in northern San Diego County, under the guise of caring for her. According to prosecutors, Ferdinand subsequently told acquaintances that his mother’s health was deteriorating and that she wished to be cremated without a funeral upon her death.
Jett was last seen on January 14, 2024, when she visited the hospital for chemotherapy. Three days later, Ferdinand informed a caregiver of Jett’s death, canceled all care services and scheduled medical appointments, and falsely claimed to other family members that Jett had traveled to Mexico and died locally.
Suspicion arose among family members when Ferdinand failed to produce a death certificate. Jett’s other foster children filed a missing person report with the police in June of that year and alerted authorities to suspicious real estate transactions involving her properties.
After a year-long investigation, law enforcement discovered a body wrapped in a bedsheet on Jett’s property in July of last year. The corpse was buried in a six-foot pit approximately 30 yards from the house and was partially mummified. Autopsy results determined the cause of death to be acute fentanyl poisoning, specifically detecting acetylfentanyl, an illicitly manufactured synthetic opioid rather than a medical-grade substance. Consequently, the manner of death was ruled a homicide.
The investigation also uncovered evidence of additional crimes aimed at embezzling Jett’s estate. Ferdinand is accused of fraudulently transferring three properties owned by Jett into his own name. He allegedly used approximately $500,000 in embezzled funds to purchase a condo in Gardena, south of Los Angeles, and pocketed over $200,000 by liquidating another of Jett’s properties in Los Angeles County.
Furthermore, a marriage license indicating the two had legally wed in May 2024—after Jett’s death—was discovered. Investigators determined that a woman named Kimberly Piper impersonated Jett to fraudulently obtain the marriage documents. Piper was also charged with related fraud offenses, though murder charges were not applied to her.
San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan stated during the press conference that this case is a tragedy driven by fatal greed. Bianca Lucci, Jett’s foster daughter who attended the same briefing, recalled that after growing up moving through roughly 10 foster homes, she met Jett, describing her as the true mother they desperately needed.
Ferdinand’s defense team has entirely denied the allegations, stating that he maintains his innocence and retains his affection for Jett.
Prosecutors have charged Ferdinand with multiple felony offenses, including murder for financial gain, grand theft, and document forgery. He is currently being held without bail, and his initial court appearance, originally scheduled for the 22nd, has been postponed to November 5.
