Former acting U.S. attorney found dead inside federal building in San Diego

Assistant U.S. Atty. Andrew Haden was found dead in an office inside the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building in San Diego on Wednesday, shortly after being reported missing. There were no signs of foul play involved, authorities said.

Haden, 48, had worked for the U.S. attorney’s office since 2010 and twice served as acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California during transitions of leadership — once for around two months in 2023 and then again for another two-month stint in 2025.

Southern District U.S. Atty. Adam Gordon confirmed Haden’s death in a statement, saying Thursday was “one of the darkest days in our office’s history, but there was nothing dark about Andrew Haden’s life.”

“He was a beacon of light — full of laughter, friendship, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to serving our community,” Gordon said. “We will honor his life and legacy by carrying his light forward, today and always.”

San Diego police received a report of a missing man late Wednesday evening and found him dead in an office at 880 Front St. shortly after, according to department spokesperson Ashley Nicholes. The address is that of the downtown San Diego federal building, which houses the U.S. attorney’s office.

“Out of an abundance of caution, SDPD investigators responded to the scene, and no foul play is suspected,” she said in a statement. “The official cause and manner of death will be determined by the Medical Examiner.”

Haden was a veteran prosecutor who had held several leadership roles during his career, including that of first assistant attorney general for the Southern District, which is the second-in-command role. He also served as chief of the Violent Crimes & Human Trafficking Section and of the Criminal Division.

Haden was raised in San Diego and graduated from University City High before obtaining his bachelor’s degree in political science from Stanford University.

He then served five years in the Navy and completed two overseas deployments in support of Operations Enduring Freedom, Iraqi Freedom, and Joint Task Force Liberia.

After leaving the military, he went to law school at the University of San Diego and served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Whelan in the Southern District of California.

Haden received multiple accolades during his legal career, including the Director’s Award for Superior Performance in a Managerial or Supervisory Role from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys in 2020 and the Peter J. Mazza Outstanding Federal Lawyer Award from the San Diego chapter of the Federal Bar Assn. in 2024.

Scott C. Carr, executive director of the San Diego County Bar Association, wrote in a LinkedIn post Thursday that he was “just devastated” to learn of Haden’s death.

“I remember talking with him during the most recent government shutdown about the impact it was having on employees in his office, and how [he] was working to support his team any way that he could,” Carr wrote. “Andrew was always friendly with a kind word to say, which makes news of his passing all the more difficult.”

Times staff writer Hailey Branson-Potts contributed to this report.