Former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber was found dead Saturday morning, in Alexandria, Virginia, according to police.
She was 43.
Police in Alexandria, Virginia, were called to a home on Beverly Drive in the suburb of Washington, D.C., at around 9:18 a.m. Saturday for the report of an unresponsive woman, according to a police statement. They found Aber dead inside.
Police said an investigation is underway surrounding the circumstances of her death. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of death, police said.
Aber, who served as U.S. attorney in Virginia for most of the Biden administration, took office in October 2021 after being unanimously confirmed by the Senate and stepped down in January, shortly after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
As U.S. attorney, Aber oversaw a staff of some 300 prosecutors and other staff and handled federal prosecutions in the state.
She started working in the office starting in 2009 as an assistant U.S. attorney, prosecuting financial fraud, public corruption, violent crime and child exploitation cases, according to an online biography.
She received her law degree from William and Mary Law School in 2006.
“We are heartbroken beyond words to learn of the passing of our friend and former colleague, U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber,” Current U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik Siebert said in a statement. “She was unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor, and she is simply irreplaceable as a human being. We remain in awe of how much she accomplished in her all too brief time in this world.”
Calling her a “proud Virginian from high school through college and throughout her career,” Siebert’s statement went on to say: “Her professionalism, grace, and legal acumen set the standard. Though we are devastated by this loss, each of us in the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) will look to her example and endeavor to live up to that standard.”
In a statement, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said he was saddened to learn of her death, saying her “career of public service included US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and whose work with Ceasefire Virginia saved more lives than we may ever realize.”
He added, “Our thoughts and our prayers are with her family this week.”
