Medical examiner: Former U.S. attorney Jessica Aber died of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy
Aber, 43, who resigned after the 2025 presidential transition, was found dead at her Alexandria home on March 22
The medical examiner has ruled that former U.S. Attorney Jessica Aber, 43, died in her sleep from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, officials said Monday.
Aber, who led the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia during the Biden administration and resigned after President Donald Trump took office, was found at her Alexandria, Virginia, home on March 22. The Alexandria Medical Examiner’s Office informed the Virginian-Pilot of the cause of death; the office described it as “sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.”
The Alexandria Police Department said shortly after Aber’s death that detectives “found no evidence suggesting that her death was caused by anything other than natural causes.” Aber’s family issued a statement saying the 43-year-old “suffered from epilepsy and epileptic seizures for many years,” according to the Virginian-Pilot.
Local authorities did not provide an explanation for the several-month gap between her death in March and the release of the medical examiner’s determination in late August and early September. The delay in announcing the official cause was not addressed in the statement from the medical examiner communicated to the newspaper.
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, commonly abbreviated as SUDEP, is the term clinicians use when a person with epilepsy dies suddenly and no other cause is found. SUDEP often occurs during sleep. Medical professionals say risk factors can include frequent, uncontrolled seizures, but the medical examiner’s report in Aber’s case did not detail circumstances beyond the classification.
Aber, a former Marine and an appointee of the Biden administration, served as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, a post that oversees federal prosecutions in a jurisdiction known for national security and public corruption cases. She stepped down following the presidential transition in January 2025, as is customary with politically appointed U.S. attorneys.
Her death prompted an initial review by Alexandria detectives and a public notice that there was no sign of foul play. The medical examiner’s ruling provides a specific medical cause while confirming that investigators had found no evidence of trauma or external factors leading to her death.
Friends, colleagues and officials expressed condolences after Aber’s death was reported in March. The family’s statement, released at the time and reiterated in coverage of the medical examiner’s finding, asked for privacy as they mourned her passing.
The medical examiner’s report brings a medical determination to a case that had drawn public attention because of Aber’s high-profile role and the sudden nature of her death. Health experts routinely advise that people living with epilepsy discuss seizure control and safety plans with their clinicians to help reduce risks associated with the condition.
