Friends hint at cause of death for Biden prosecutor Jessica Aber who was found dead in her Virginia home

A former US attorney found dead at home at the age of 43 had reportedly been suffering from a longstanding medical issue.

Jessica Aber, once the top prosecutor in the Eastern District of Virginia, was found unresponsive in her Washington DC home on Saturday. She likely died from natural causes, police believe. 

'Police believe the death was the result of a longstanding medical issue,' a source told ABC News.  A friend told Fox News Aber suffered from a chronic illness, but did not elaborate further. 

A formal report providing Aber's cause and manner of death is still spending, which has sparked speculation online. 

Officials said a cause of death will be released by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia.

Aber stepped down on January 20 after being appointed to one of the most high-profile federal prosecutorial posts in the country by Joe Biden.

She assumed the role as the top prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2021.

The  a longtime federal prosecutor rose through the ranks of the Justice Department, eventually becoming one of the few women ever to lead the prestigious Eastern District of Virginia, known widely in legal circles as EDVA.

The district is no ordinary post as it encompasses Northern Virginia, the Pentagon, Langley, the Port of Norfolk, and the corridors of federal power in Richmond.

It is a nerve center of legal activity involving terrorism, espionage, public corruption, and corporate crime.

As US Attorney, Aber led a team of roughly 300 lawyers and staff, prosecuting some of the nation's most sensitive and consequential cases.

In her resignation letter, Aber said working as a U.S. attorney was 'an honor beyond measure.'

'I am deeply grateful to senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and to President Biden for the opportunity to lead this office and to Attorney General Garland for his steadfast leadership,' Aber said in January.

'I am proud of the work we have done with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to enforce the law and build community trust.'

In one of her final interviews before stepping down, Aber told The Washington Post that she logged over 50,000 miles on her Hyundai car, traveling the length of Virginia to meet with students, communities, and local leaders.

'We follow the facts and the law, trying to do it in an entirely apolitical way,' she said.

In her resignation letter, Aber said working as a U.S. attorney was 'an honor beyond measure.'

'I am deeply grateful to senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine and to President Biden for the opportunity to lead this office and to Attorney General Garland for his steadfast leadership,' Aber said in January.

'I am proud of the work we have done with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to enforce the law and build community trust.'

Her former colleagues are also grappling with the enormity of the loss.

'Jess was brilliant, but far more important was her sense for justice, her humanity, and her ability to change the world in a positive way even during her brief time with us,' said US District Judge M. Hannah Lauck, for whom Aber once clerked.

'My clerk family has lost its rock, and I have lost a friend. She was a gold soul and I am proud to have known her.'

'She was unmatched as a leader, mentor, and prosecutor,' said Erik S. Siebert, her interim successor.

'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. She loved EDVA and EDVA loved her back.'