Officials say that Aber likely died of natural causes. Neither the specific cause nor manner of death have been released.
Officials on Tuesday revealed the likely cause of death of a former U.S. attorney who died over the weekend in her Virginia home, saying they believe she succumbed to natural causes.
Jessica Aber, 43, was found dead inside her home in Alexandria, Virginia, on March 22, authorities said. Aber was the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia until her resignation on Jan. 20 when the Trump administration took over.
“At this time, detectives have found no evidence suggesting that her death was caused by anything other than natural causes,” the Alexandria Police Department
said in an update Tuesday evening.
An investigation into her death is ongoing, and the local medical examiner’s office has not released her cause or manner of death, police said. Further updates will be released by the medical examiner’s office, the statement added.
“We urge the public to respect the privacy of Ms. Aber’s family during this time of loss,” the statement continued.
An appointee of former President Joe Biden, Aber worked as the U.S. attorney from 2021 to 2025 before she stepped down. She was nominated by Biden in August 2021 and was unanimously confirmed by the Senate months later.
In a resignation letter that was
released three days before she stepped down, Aber thanked Biden and Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) “for the opportunity to lead this office, and to Attorney General [Merrick] Garland for his steadfast leadership. 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.”
After her death, officials released statements offering their condolences to Aber’s family. That included Erik Siebert, the current U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the state’s attorney general.
“We are heartbroken beyond words to learn of the passing of our friend and former colleague, U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber,” Siebert
said in a statement Saturday. “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.”
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares also praised Aber for her work to help curb violent crime.
“I am saddened to learn of the passing of Jessica Aber, whose 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,” Miyares
said in a statement on social media platform X over the past weekend. “Our thoughts and our prayers are with her family this week.”
Before becoming the U.S. attorney, she worked in the Virginia office as an assistant U.S. attorney and prosecuted financial fraud, public corruption, violent crime, and child exploitation cases.
On Jan. 17, she notched one of her most significant legal victories as a former CIA analyst, Aisf Rahman, pleaded guilty to leaking classified documents,
according to the office. Aber also led prosecution in 2024 against Eleview International Inc., a company that was accused of running “ schemes to illegally transship sensitive American technology to Russia,” the DOJ also
said.
