The former federal prosecutor who resigned the day President Donald Trump took office in 2025 was found dead Saturday in her Virginia home, the Alexandria Police Department said in a statement.
Jessica Aber, former U.S. attorney for the eastern District of Virginia, was 43. Her death is under investigation.
On Jan. 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration, Aber resigned after serving as U.S. attorney for the eastern District of Virginia for three years. She was nominated by former President Joe Biden in 2021.
“I’ve had the privilege of spending my career as a prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia working alongside talented, hard-working public servants who manage matters affecting citizens here and across the world,” Aber said in a statement. “Concluding my service to the District as its U.S. Attorney has been an honor beyond measure.”
Attorney General Pamela Bondi called Aber’s death “deeply tragic.”
“Our hearts and prayers go out to her family and friends during this profoundly difficult time,” Bondi said in a statement.
Erik S. Siebert, the current U.S. attorney for the eastern District of Virginia, said in a statement that he and his office are “heartbroken” over Aber’s death.
“She was unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor, and she is simply irreplaceable as a human being,” Siebert said. “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. 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.”
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Before becoming the U.S. attorney for the eastern District of Virginia, Aber served as assistant U.S. attorney, prosecuting financial fraud, public corruption, violent crime, and child exploitation cases. She also served as counsel to the assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice.