Former U.S. Attorney Found Dead Inside Federal Building

A veteran federal prosecutor who twice served as acting U.S. attorney has been found dead inside a federal building in downtown San Diego, leaving colleagues stunned and heartbroken.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden, 48, was discovered Wednesday evening inside an office at the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building, shortly after authorities received a report that he was missing.

Police said there were no signs of foul play.

San Diego officers responded to the building at 880 Front Street and located Haden inside an office. Investigators were called to the scene “out of an abundance of caution,” according to police spokesperson Ashley Nicholes.

“The official cause and manner of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner,” Nicholes said.

Haden had spent more than 15 years with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and had risen through the ranks to become one of the most prominent federal prosecutors in Southern California.

He twice served as acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California — first for roughly two months in 2023 and again during another leadership transition in 2025.

Current U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon described Haden’s death as a devastating loss for the office.

“This is one of the darkest days in our office’s history, but there was nothing dark about Andrew Haden’s life,” Gordon said.

He remembered Haden as “a beacon of light” who was known for his laughter, friendship, integrity and commitment to public service.

Haden held several major leadership positions over the years, including first assistant U.S. attorney, essentially the second-in-command of the office.

He also served as chief of the Violent Crimes and Human Trafficking Section and later headed the Criminal Division.

But his public service began long before his legal career.

Haden grew up in San Diego and graduated from University City High School before earning a political science degree from Stanford University.

He then spent five years serving in the U.S. Navy and completed two overseas deployments supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Joint Task Force Liberia.

After leaving the military, Haden attended the University of San Diego School of Law and later worked as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Whelan.

His work as a prosecutor earned him several major honors.

In 2020, he received the Director’s Award for Superior Performance in a Managerial or Supervisory Role from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.

Four years later, the San Diego chapter of the Federal Bar Association honored him with its Peter J. Mazza Outstanding Federal Lawyer Award.

News of Haden’s sudden death sent shockwaves through San Diego’s legal community.

Scott C. Carr, executive director of the San Diego County Bar Association, said he was “just devastated” by the news.

Carr recalled speaking with Haden during the most recent government shutdown and said the prosecutor had been deeply concerned about how the disruption was affecting employees in his office.

“Andrew was always friendly with a kind word to say,” Carr wrote, “which makes news of his passing all the more difficult.”

Authorities have not publicly disclosed Haden’s cause of death.

The San Diego County Medical Examiner will make the final determination.