Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

It sounds like there was some mistake by the escrow company. My best guess, given the time lapse between your deal falling out of contract and when you received the deed, is that the property has now sold and the title company screwed up and used the deed that would have been used had you closed your deal. So I would start by contacting the escrow company and asking them to look into what happened, why, and how to fix it. If my hunch is correct, all that will be required is for you to sign a quitclaim deed back to the seller, and then they will have the seller execute a proper grant deed to the actual buyer(s).

Alternatively, you could contact the seller or the seller's agent.