A veteran Justice Department prosecutor who led the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Southern California twice was discovered dead inside a San Diego federal building Wednesday evening, hours after authorities received a missing-person report.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden, 48, was found inside an office at the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building in downtown San Diego, which houses the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California. San Diego police said officers received the missing-person report late Wednesday and were subsequently called to the building at 880 Front Street.
Police investigators responded to the scene and conducted a preliminary investigation. “Out of an abundance of caution, SDPD investigators responded to the scene, and no foul play is suspected,” a spokesperson said in a statement. The official cause and manner of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner, with no announcement made as of Friday.
A Decorated Career in Federal Law
Haden joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California in 2010 and spent more than 15 years working as a federal prosecutor. He served in several senior leadership positions, including chief of the Violent Crimes and Human Trafficking Section and chief of the Criminal Division.
He also served as the office’s first assistant U.S. attorney, making him the second-ranking official in the Southern District. Haden ultimately rose to the top position on two separate occasions, serving as acting U.S. attorney during leadership transitions in 2023 and again in 2025, with each stint lasting approximately two months.
Before his Justice Department career, Haden served five years in the U.S. Navy and completed two overseas deployments. His military service included support for Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, as well as Joint Task Force Liberia. After leaving the Navy, Haden returned to San Diego and attended the University of San Diego School of Law, later clerking for U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Whelan.
Tributes From the Legal Community
U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon described Thursday as “one of the darkest days in our office’s history, but there was nothing dark about Andrew Haden’s life.” Gordon said, “He was a beacon of light – full of laughter, friendship, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to serving our community.”
Southern District of California Chief Judge Cynthia Bashant called his death a “loss for everyone” and described Haden as “well loved and well respected.” Defense attorney Jeremy Warren, who regularly faced Haden in federal court, said their professional opposition never prevented friendship between them.
“The fact that we remained friends throughout is a testament to the type of guy he was,” Warren said, describing Haden’s death as “a huge blow to the entire federal community in San Diego.”
