Jessica Aber. Photo:
Billy Schuerman/The Virginian-Pilot/Tribune News Service via Getty
Jessica Aber, the former federal prosecutor who resigned on the day that President Donald Trump took office for the second time earlier this year, likely died of “natural causes,” police have said.
On Saturday, March 22, Aber was found dead at a home in Alexandria, Va., at around 9:18 a.m. local time, the Alexandria Police Department (APD) previously confirmed in a statement released on X. She was 43.
On March 25, police shared an update, writing on Facebook, “While the investigation into the death of Ms. Jessica Aber is ongoing, at this time, detectives have found no evidence suggesting that her death was caused by anything other than natural causes.”
“The investigation is ongoing, and the case will remain open until the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) returns a final ruling on the cause and manner of death,” police added in the news release.
Jessica Aber. DOJ
“We urge the public to respect the privacy of Ms. Aber’s family during this time of loss. Any further updates regarding the cause and manner of death should be directed to the OCME,” the release concluded.
A family friend told NBC News that police believe Aber might have “died because of a long-standing medical issue.”
The update comes after police responded to a report of an unresponsive woman at a home in the 900 block of Beverly Drive on Saturday morning. Officers found Aber and pronounced her dead at the scene, per the department. It was not immediately clear if the home in which authorities found Aber belonged to her, or who initially contacted police to make the report.
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Jessica Aber at the Department of Justice in December 2023. AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein
Aber was nominated for U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA) by Joe Biden in August 2021. She was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in October of that same year, per her official bio from the Department of Justice (DOJ).
The prosecutor later resigned from her position with the EDVA earlier this year on Jan. 20, the same day Trump, 78, took over the U.S. presidency.
Erik Siebert, the current U.S. Attorney for the EDVA, was among those sharing tributes on social media, writing on X that the office was “heartbroken beyond words.”
“She was unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor, and she is simply irreplaceable as a human being,” his message included.
Aber received her law degree from William & Mary Law School in 2006. She began her career at the DOJ in 2009 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, where she took on cases involving financial fraud, public corruption, violent crime and child exploitation.
Prior to her 2021 nomination for U.S. Attorney, Aber served as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division for EDVA, per the DOJ.
The APD and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia did not immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information.
