VALLEY CENTER — Prosecutors have filed fraud and theft charges against two men in connection with a missing woman whose skeletal remains were recently discovered on property where she once lived.
San Diego County sheriff’s investigators found the remains of 65-year-old Nadine Jett on July 16 while serving a search warrant at a home in the 14800 block of Oak Creek Road.
Authorities have not disclosed how long Jett was missing, but a neighbor said she was last seen in December 2023. The neighbor said squatters later moved onto the property, damaging it and causing disturbances that drew sheriff’s deputies.
The Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the remains as Jett’s last week. The Sheriff’s Office said no arrests had been made. Investigators have not determined whether Jett’s death was a homicide or identified possible suspects.
“Detectives with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office continue to pursue all leads and are working diligently to uncover the circumstances surrounding Jett’s death,” Lt. Juan Marquez said in a statement.
While the circumstances surrounding her death remain under investigation, the District Attorney’s Office has filed 17 felony counts against Cedric Von Ferdinand, believed to be Jett’s foster son, and Escondido real estate agent Raymond Joseph Alto.
According to the complaint, Von Ferdinand faces charges of forgery, grand theft and falsifying records to claim Jett’s 20-acre property as his own. He is accused of stealing more than $500,000 of Jett’s money and belongings.
Alto faces similar charges and is accused of notarizing some of Von Ferdinand’s forged documents.
Jett also fostered the Lucci quadruplets, who reported finding forged signatures and suspicious papers in the trash, prompting the investigation.
The Valley Roadrunner reported that Von Ferdinand gave conflicting accounts of Jett’s death. The Lucci sisters said he refused to let them see Jett while she battled pancreatic cancer.
Tiffany Lucci told the outlet Von Ferdinand claimed Jett died in Mexico around Easter 2024 and was cremated, but would not provide proof. She alleged he “found an opportunity, knew what he was doing, knew how much her estate was worth and was mad about what Nadine was leaving to us.”
She also told NBC 7, “He abused, you know, her love for him, and here we are now, so my sisters and I are going to keep fighting for justice and to keep Nadine’s name alive, because she was a wonderful woman and she had a huge heart.”
The Coast News has requested further information from the Sheriff’s Office.
