Jessica Aber, former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), was found dead Saturday morning, the Alexandria Police Department said. She was 43 years old.
The cause and circumstances of Aber’s death are still under investigation and will be determined by The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia, according to APD.
After receiving a report of an unresponsive woman, police responded to the 900 block of Beverley Drive at around 9:18 a.m., where they found Aber deceased.
Aber began her service for EDVA as an assistant U.S. attorney in 2009. She also served on a detail assignment as counsel to the assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice from 2015 to 2016. She then served as the deputy Chief of EDVA’s criminal division.
Aber was nominated to be U.S. attorney by former President Joe Biden and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2021. She resigned two months ago when President Donald Trump took office.
Aber’s former colleagues are now remembering her legacy.
In a post on X, Attorney General of Virginia Jason Miyares said, “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.”
Erik S. Siebert, the current U.S. Attorney for EDVA, described Aber in a statement as being “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. Her professionalism, grace, and legal acumen set the standard,” he said. “Though we are devastated by this loss, each of us in the Eastern District of Virginia will look to her example and endeavor to live up to that standard.”
He also said that she was a “proud Virginian” who graduated from the University of Richmond and got her J.D. from William & Mary Law School.
“She loved EDVA and EDVA loved her back,” Siebert said. “We remain committed to her life’s work, a commitment to seeking justice, as she would have wanted.”
