Jessica Aber, a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, was found dead Saturday. She was 43.
A statement from Alexandria Police said Aber was confirmed dead after officers responded to the 900 block of Beverly Drive in Alexandria, Virginia, at approximately 9:18 a.m.
Officers were initially called to the scene in response to an unresponsive woman.
A cause of death has not yet been released by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia. An investigation is underway.
Area leaders are remembering her work as a public servant.
Erik Siebert, who serves as the current U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, remembered Aber as an “unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor.”
“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,” he said in a statement. “Jess was a proud Virginian from high school through college and throughout her career.”
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares praised Aber for her work with Ceasefire Virginia, a statewide initiative implemented in 2022 designed to combat violent crime.
“I am saddened to learn of the passing of Jessica Aber, whose career of public service included U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and whose work with Ceasefire Virginia saved more lives than we may ever realize,” Miyares posted on social media.
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine called Aber “an exceptional public servant who dedicated her life to serving her fellow Virginians. She will be deeply missed.”
Aber was nominated to serve as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2021, during former President Joe Biden’s term in office, according to the Justice Department’s website. She had been unanimously confirmed to serve in the posting.
During her time in that role, Aber led a staff of 300 prosecutors, civil litigators and support personnel across the state. The DOJ said she worked on “a variety of financial fraud, public corruption, violent crime, and child exploitation cases.”
Aber resigned from the position in January, when President Donald Trump came into office.
She received the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service from the Department of Justice in 2019.
Before joining the DOJ, she was an associated at McGuireWoods LLP, from 2007 to 2008, and worked at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia from 2006 to 2007 as a clerk under then-Magistrate Judge M. Hannah Lauck.
Aber, a Virginia native, did her undergraduate work at the University of Richmond and received her law degree in 2006 from William & Mary Law School.
WTOP’s Gaby Arancibia and Will Vitka contributed to this report.
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