Jessica D. Aber, the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was found dead Saturday morning, just two months after leaving office. She was 43.
The Alexandria Police Department (APD) confirmed receiving a call at approximately 9:18 a.m. about an “unresponsive woman.” Authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia will determine the cause and manner of death.
Jessica Aber, born on September 9, 1981, in Walnut Creek, California, was a distinguished American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2021 until her resignation in January 2025.
Aber, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2021, served in her role until resigning on January 20, 2025. As U.S. Attorney, she oversaw approximately 300 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel across four divisions in Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News.
“She was unmatched as a leader, mentor and prosecutor, and she is simply irreplaceable as a human being,” Current U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Erik Siebert. “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.”
The attorney said “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,” Siebert said. “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.”
In her resignation statement, Aber called the opportunity to serve as U.S. Attorney “an honor beyond measure.” She was a graduate of William & Mary Law School and had a long career in federal law enforcement.
Aber completed her undergraduate studies magna cum laude at the University of Richmond in 2003 and earned her Juris Doctor from William & Mary Law School in 2006. She began her legal career clerking for Magistrate Judge M. Hannah Lauck in the Eastern District of Virginia from 2006 to 2007.
She then worked as an associate at McGuireWoods from 2007 to 2008 before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2009 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. During her tenure, Aber handled cases involving financial fraud, public corruption, violent crime, and child exploitation.
She also served as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice from 2015 to 2016 and was the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for the Eastern District of Virginia starting in 2016.
Authorities have not provided further details regarding the circumstances of her death.
