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Former colleagues of the US attorney who was found dead yesterday have paid a touching tribute to her, saying she is 'simply irreplaceable.'
Yesterday (March 22), Alexandria Police were called to reports of an 'unresponsive woman' at the 900 block of Beverley Drive at around 9.18am.
In a statement on Twitter, Alexandria Police Department's Chief of Police Tarrick McGuire confirmed the death of 43-year-old Jessica Aber, the former US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA).
The statement notes an investigation is yet to determine the cause and manner of death.
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Aber was the United States attorney for the EDVA from 2021 to 2025, after being nominated by former US President Joe Biden and unanimously confirmed by the Senate.
Shortly before Donald Trump took over the White House in January this year for his second term, Aber resigned from the high-profile role.
Now, her former colleagues and associates have issued a touching tribute to the passionate attorney.
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Her successor, Erik Siebert, the current US attorney for the EDVA said in a statement: "We are heartbroken beyond words to learn of the passing of our friend and former colleague, U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber.
"She was unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor, and 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. Her professionalism, grace, and legal acumen set the standard.
"Though we are devastated by this loss, each of us in the Eastern District of Virginia will look to her example and endeavour to live up to the standard."
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It continued: "Jess was a proud Virginian from high school through college and throughout her career. She loved EDVA and EDVA loved her back.
"We remain committed to her life's work, a commitment to seeking justice, as she would have wanted."
Also on Twitter, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said he was 'saddened' by the news and praised her hard work with Ceasefire Virginia, a statewide initiative rolled out in 2022 to tackle violent crime, for having 'saved more lives than we may ever realize'.
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Prior to joining the EDVA in 2009, Aber worked in a private practice where she had several roles, according to the US Department of Justice's website. From 2016, she served as assistant US attorney and deputy chief of the department's criminal division.
As US attorney for EDVA, Aber led a team of 'approximately 300 prosecutors, civil litigators, and support personnel across four Divisions located in Alexandria, Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News' serving 'over six million residents' across the district.
The attorney graduated from the University of Richmond and completed her law degree from the William & Mary Law School in 2006.