Who Was Andrew Haden? Assistant US Attorney Found Dead Inside San Diego Federal Building
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden was found dead inside the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building in downtown San Diego on Wednesday evening, Aug. 19, shortly after he was reported missing. He was 48.
San Diego police said investigators found Haden inside an office at 880 Front St., the address of the federal building that houses the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California.
Authorities said they do not suspect foul play, while the Medical Examiner will determine the official cause and manner of death.
The circumstances surrounding Haden’s death have not been publicly detailed.
His death was confirmed Thursday by U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon, who asked that further details be withheld out of respect for Haden’s wife and children.
Who Was Andrew Haden?
Haden was a longtime federal prosecutor who joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2010 after being selected through the Justice Department’s Attorney General’s Honors Program.
He later rose to become First Assistant U.S. Attorney, the office’s second-in-command.
His career included leadership of the Violent Crimes & Human Trafficking Section and the Criminal Division.
He also worked in the General Crimes and Major Crimes sections, handling serious federal cases during his years as a prosecutor.
Haden twice stepped into the top job as acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, serving during leadership transitions in 2023 and again in 2025.
The Justice Department formally announced his first appointment in August 2023 after then-U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman resigned.
Haden’s San Diego Roots and Military Service
Haden was raised in San Diego and graduated from University City High School.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University before serving five years in the U.S. Navy, including two overseas deployments.
He later earned his law degree from the University of San Diego and clerked for U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Whelan in the Southern District of California.
He also taught as an adjunct professor at the University of San Diego.
His work earned several professional honors, including the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys’ Director’s Award for Superior Performance in a Managerial or Supervisory Role in 2020 and the San Diego chapter of the Federal Bar Association’s Peter J. Mazza Outstanding Federal Lawyer Award in 2024.
What Exactly Happened to Him?
Haden was reported missing on the evening of Wednesday, Aug. 19.
San Diego police then responded to the federal building and found him dead inside an office.
Police spokesperson Ashley Nicholes said investigators responded “out of an abundance of caution” and that no foul play is suspected.
She said the Medical Examiner will establish the cause and manner of death.
That means details about how Haden died remain officially unresolved.
No cause of death has been announced, and authorities have not publicly provided additional circumstances surrounding his death.
Colleagues and His Rememberance
Gordon described Haden’s death as an extraordinary loss for the U.S. Attorney’s 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 called Haden “a beacon of light” and praised his laughter, friendship, integrity and commitment to the San Diego community.
San Diego federal Chief Judge Cynthia Bashant also remembered Haden as “well loved and well respected,” while defense attorney Jeremy Warren, who frequently faced Haden in court, described his death as “a huge blow to the entire federal community in San Diego.”
Haden is survived by his wife and children.
