Jessica Aber was the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) from 2021 to 2025
Former attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) Jessica Aber has been found dead at the age of 43.
On the morning of March 22, around 9:18 AM, Alexandria Police received a report of an unresponsive woman found at the 900 block of Beverley Drive.
Chief Tarrick McGuire of the Alexandria Police Department shared an official statement on X, confirming the tragic news: “Upon arrival, officers discovered a deceased woman. After notifying her family, we can now confirm the identity of the woman as Jessica Aber, 43, former US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.”
The statement also mentioned that the investigation into the circumstances of her death is ongoing, with the Virginia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner set to determine the cause and manner of death.
Jessica Aber served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) from 2021 to 2025, a position to which she was nominated by former President Joe Biden. However, she stepped down from the prominent role just before Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States earlier this year.
During her tenure, Aber oversaw a team of roughly 300 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support staff across four divisions in Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News, representing over six million residents in the district, as detailed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
In the wake of Jessica Aber’s passing, the current U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Erik S. Siebert, issued a heartfelt statement, expressing the office’s profound grief. Describing Aber as an “unmatched” leader, mentor, and prosecutor, Siebert emphasized that she was “simply irreplaceable as a human being.”
“We remain in awe of how much she accomplished in her all too brief time in this world,” Siebert remarked. “Her professionalism, grace, and legal acumen set the standard.”
Although the EDVA is “devastated” by the loss, Siebert stated that the office would continue to look to Aber’s example and strive to meet the high standards she set. The statement concluded with a commitment to carry forward her life’s work: “We remain committed to her life’s work, a commitment to seeking justice, as she would have wanted.”
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares also expressed his sorrow on Twitter, writing, “I am saddened to learn of the passing of Jessica Aber, whose career of public service included serving as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and whose work with Ceasefire Virginia saved more lives than we may ever realize.”
He continued, “Our thoughts and our prayers are with her family this week.”
