43-year-old former US attorney for Virginia discovered deceased

Former U.S. Attorney for the eastern district of Virginia, Jessica Aber, was found dead in Alexandria at the age of 43. Police responded to a report of an unresponsive woman and discovered her deceased. The cause and manner of death will be determined by the medical examiner’s office, and an investigation is underway. Aber resigned as U.S. attorney on January 20, the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. She was appointed by President Joe Biden in August 2021 and had been with the office since 2009. U.S. attorneys serve at the will of the president and can be removed at any time. Tributes poured in from colleagues and officials, with U.S. Attorney Erik S. Siebert calling Aber irreplaceable and expressing his deep sadness over her passing. U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi also offered her condolences and called Aber’s death profoundly tragic. Aber was described as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor who was loved by the eastern district of Virginia. Her sudden death has left the legal community in shock and mourning.