Jessica Aber, the former US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), was found dead at her home on Saturday, officials said.
The body of the 43-year-old lawyer, who resigned after US President Donald Trump took office in January, was discovered at her home in Virginia’s Alexandria.
An investigation is underway surrounding the circumstances of her death, the police said in a statement.
“This morning, at approximately 9:18 am, Alexandria Police responded to the 900 block of Beverley Drive for the report of an unresponsive woman. Officers located a deceased woman,” the statement said.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia will determine the cause and manner of death, it added.
The incumbent US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik S Siebert, said he was “heartbroken beyond words” to learn about Ms Aber’s death.
“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. Her professionalism, grace, and legal acumen set the standard,” he said in a statement.
“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. Jess was a proud Virginian from high school through college and throughout her career. She loved EDVA and EDVA loved her back. We remain committed to her life’s work, a commitment to seeking justice, as she would have wanted,” he added.
Who Was Jessica Aber
Jessica Aber was nominated as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia by then President Joe Biden in August 2021.
She began her service in the EDVA in 2009 as an Assistant US Attorney, prosecuting financial fraud, public corruption, violent crime, and child exploitation cases.
From 2015 to 2016, Ms Aber served on a detailed assignment as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice. From 2016 until becoming US Attorney, she also served as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for EDVA.