The cause of death has Jessica Aber, the ex-Biden-appointed U.S. Attorney who was found dead in her home over five months ago, has been revealed. Aber, who was found dead at her Alexandria, Virginia, home on March 22, died in her sleep from “sudden unexpected death in epilepsy,” according to the local Medical Examiner’s Office, the Virginian-Pilot reported.
Aber had just resigned from her prominent position before being found dead. Aber’s death was ruled “natural.” In March, the Alexandria Police Department has said that they found no indication she died from anything but natural causes. The reason for the long delay in releasing the cause of death was remains unclear.
Everything Clear, No Doubts
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Officials said that Aber had been dealing with a chronic health condition, and her family had earlier shared that she had lived with epilepsy and frequent epileptic seizures for many years. “Jess suffered from epilepsy and epileptic seizures for many years, and on Tuesday, March 25, Alexandria (Virginia) Police said in a statement that they believe her death was the result of natural causes,” the family said in a statement shortly after Aber’s death.
“We expect more information from the medical examiner in the coming weeks. Our family is in shock and grieving deeply, and we respectfully request privacy as we attempt to navigate through our unspeakable loss.”
Fatal seizures, referred to as Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), are uncommon but are considered a major risk for individuals living with the condition.
Aber, who had served as Virginia’s top federal prosecutor, resigned from her role on the very day President Donald Trump began his second term in January.
She had risen through the ranks within the Justice Department before being appointed by Biden in 2021 as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), becoming one of the few women to lead the office.
Star in Her Own Right
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The EDVA covers Northern Virginia, the Pentagon, Langley, the Port of Norfolk, and key federal corridors in Richmond. It is a hub for cases involving terrorism, espionage, public corruption, and corporate crime.
During her tenure, Aber oversaw a team of around 300 lawyers and staff, handling some of the nation’s most sensitive and high-profile prosecutions.
She was involved in the investigation of former CIA analyst Asif Rahman, who pleaded guilty to leaking Israel’s plan to strike Iran last year, and participated in several inquiries into illegal activities connected to Russia-affiliated individuals.
However, when Trump returned to the presidency on January 20, Aber resigned, citing that she believed the new administration expected her to step down as a Biden appointee.
“It’s a political job,” she said during the Richmond Police Department’s year-end crime briefing, as reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
“President Trump hasn’t indicated explicitly how long, if it all, he would keep the Biden U.S. attorneys, but I decided that I would leave at the end of President Biden’s time.”
In her resignation letter, Aber described serving as a U.S. attorney as “an honor beyond measure.”
