Former US Attorney Jessica Aber found dead in Virginia Home

According to officials, a former federal prosecutor was discovered deceased at a residence in Alexandria, Virginia, on Saturday morning.

At 9:18 a.m. Eastern Time, Alexandria Police Department officers were called to the residence after receiving a report of a woman who was not responding.

Jessica Aber, 43, a former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was found dead at the site when they arrived, according to authorities. It wasn’t immediately apparent who had called the police or whether Aber owned the house.

The Virginia medical examiner’s office will determine the cause of her death. Aber’s death is “thought to have been caused by a long-standing medical condition,” a family acquaintance told CBS News.

According to a statement from the police, “an investigation is underway surrounding the circumstances of her death as a matter of protocol.”

Aber was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in August 2021 after being nominated by then-President Joe Biden.

She oversaw the department for around three years before leaving in January to start President Trump’s second term. She had been looking forward to pursuing her legal career in the private sector, she told CBS News in January.

In a statement released Saturday, her replacement, Erik Siebert, the current U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, stated, “We are heartbroken beyond words to learn of the passing of our friend and former colleague, U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber.” As a human being, she is simply irreplaceable, and as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor, she was unparalleled. We’re still amazed at how much she managed to do in her far too short life.

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares commended Aber on social media for her efforts with Ceasefire Virginia, a statewide program launched in 2022 to address violent crime.