A Grim Discovery in Downtown San Diego
Andrew Haden, a federal prosecutor who twice served as acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, was found dead inside an office at 880 Front St. in downtown San Diego after police received a late Wednesday call saying he might be missing. Southern District U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon confirmed Haden’s death in a statement and called it “one of the darkest days in our office’s history.” He added, “But there was nothing dark about Andrew Haden’s life.” In moments like this, politics should take a back seat. A family has lost a husband and father, and a public servant’s colleagues are mourning a man they clearly respected.
Reported Cause and Ongoing Review
The New York Post reported that Haden died by hanging in an apparent suicide. San Diego Police Department spokesperson Ashley Nicholas had previously said no foul play was suspected, and the investigation remains ongoing. The San Diego medical examiner is expected to determine the official cause of death. That distinction matters. Reports can point one way, but the formal finding belongs to the medical examiner. In the meantime, this is a heartbreaking reminder that even people with strong resumes, serious responsibilities, and respected careers can be carrying burdens others do not see.
A Record of Service and a Family Left Behind
Haden had worked for the U.S. attorney’s office since 2010 and served as acting U.S. attorney twice during leadership transitions, once for about two months in 2023 and again for about two months in 2025. Before his legal career, he served five years in the U.S. Navy and completed two deployments in Iraq and Liberia. He later attended the University of San Diego law school and served as a court clerk for U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Whelan in the Southern District of California. Haden leaves behind a wife and two children. A family member wrote on Facebook, “Shocking, heartbreaking, surreal, just can’t wrap my head around it at the moment. Always remember TOMORROW NEEDS YOU! 988 RIP LT Andrew Haden.”
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