Former Federal Prosecutor, 43, Found Dead in Virginia Home

Aber, appointed by Biden, resigned from her post as a federal prosecutor on the day of Trump’s inauguration.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Jessica Aber speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington on Dec. 6, 2023. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Police have launched an investigation after a former federal prosecutor was found dead inside her home in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 22.

At about 9:18 a.m. on March 22, officers from the Alexandria Police Department responded to a report of an unresponsive woman at a residence in the 900 block of Beverley Drive, according to a police statement. Responding authorities determined that the woman, whom they identified as 43-year-old Jessica Aber, was deceased.

Until recently, Aber had been the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

President Joe Biden appointed Aber to the position, and the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed her appointment on Oct. 5, 2021. With days left in the Biden administration, Aber submitted her resignation, effective as of Jan. 20 at 11:59 a.m., moments before President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

It’s not yet clear how Aber died.

“As a matter of protocol, an investigation is underway surrounding the circumstances of her death. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia will determine the cause and manner of death,” the Alexandria Police Department stated.

Aber had worked with the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia since 2009. In her Jan. 17 resignation announcement, Aber noted that she had prosecuted cases from financial fraud and public corruption, to violent crimes and child exploitation cases.

“I am deeply grateful to Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and to President Biden for the opportunity to lead this office, and to Attorney General Garland for his steadfast leadership,” she said. “I am proud of the work we have done with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to enforce the law and build community trust.”

U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert, who succeeded Aber following her resignation, shared his condolences upon learning of her death on March 22.

“We are heartbroken beyond words to learn of the passing of our friend and former colleague, U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber. She was unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor, and she is simply irreplaceable as a human being,” Siebert wrote on social media platform X. “We remain in awe of how much she accomplished in her all too brief time in this world. Her professionalism, grace, and legal acumen set the standard.”

He described Aber as a proud Virginian who loved her work in the Eastern District of Virginia.

“We remain committed to her life’s work, a commitment to seeking justice, as she would have wanted,” Siebert said.