34YO California Man Killed Foster Mother For Financial Gain,

[Sugar Cookie]

A 34-year-old California man is accused of poisoning his foster mother and burying her remains on her ranch, then stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from her and transferring her properties to himself.

Cedric Von Ferdinand was arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 65-year-old Nadine Jett, with special-circumstance allegations that he killed her for financial gain and by administering poison, authorities announced.

Jett was a retired family law attorney and foster mother who was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer when she was last seen at a chemotherapy appointment on Jan. 14, 2024. Prosecutors believe she was killed sometime after the chemo appointment and before Jan. 17, 2024.

Jett's foster daughters grew suspicious after Von Ferdinand allegedly told them Jett had died in Mexico and been cremated, but he could not provide a death certificate. They reported her missing, prompting an investigation that eventually led authorities to the property where she lived.

Investigators found Jett's bedsheet-wrapped remains in July 2025 in a grave on her roughly 20-acre property in Valley Center. Stephan said the hole was about six feet deep and located roughly 30 yards from the residence.

A medical patch that Jett received on Jan. 14 and was supposed to remove after 27 hours was still on her body, Stephan said. Toxicology testing found a fatal amount of acetylfentanyl, a substance prosecutors said "is commonly found in illicitly manufactured fentanyl."

The medical examiner determined Jett died from acute fentanyl toxicity and classified her death as a homicide.

Paris Lucci, one of Jett's foster children, spoke to local CBS affiliate KFMB and recounted an unusual detail involving a prospective sale of Jett's ranch. A real estate agent involved in the transaction said Von Ferdinand asked a prospective buyer to plant roses in a particular area.

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https://lawandcrime.com/crime/foster-son-killed-cancer-stricken-mom-buried-body-on-her-ranch-and-tried-to-get-prospective-buyers-to-plant-rosebush-over-makeshift-grave-police/