A 34-year-old man is accused of poisoning his adoptive mother, Nadine Jett, 64, with a lethal dose of fentanyl. The man then buried the remains on his property in Valley Center (San Diego). For the investigators, the objective was to get their hands on the woman’s inheritance.
The reconstruction
The San Diego district attorney said Jett, a highly regarded Los Angeles County attorney, became ill with cancer in August 2023, at which point her adopted son moved into her home under the guise of caring for her.
The woman was last seen on January 14, 2024 during a chemotherapy session, adding that investigators believe she was killed sometime between January 14 and 17 of that year.
The prosecutor also said that, around that time, the 34-year-old had begun telling the woman’s friends and loved ones that she would not survive the diagnosis and that she wished to be cremated without a funeral. The man also allegedly told an assistant of the 64-year-old that she had died in Mexico and that her services would no longer be needed.
The discovery and the accusations
The DA later added that Jett’s other foster children had become suspicious of Von Ferdinand after he failed to provide their mother’s death certificate. They reported him missing in June 2024 and reportedly reported suspicious activity related to Jett’s finances, including property deeds that were allegedly transferred to their foster brother under questionable circumstances.
Jett’s remains were discovered on his son’s property in July 2025, adding that the medical examiner’s office later ruled his death a homicide. Prosecutors say the 34-year-old is guilty of fraud and real estate theft, among other crimes. It would have caused losses in excess of $500,000.