San Diego Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden Found Dead in Federal Building Office

Veteran federal prosecutor remembered for service and leadership

SAN DIEGO — Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden, a longtime federal prosecutor who twice led the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California on an acting basis, was found dead Wednesday in an office inside the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building in downtown San Diego. Police said investigators found no indication of foul play.

The San Diego Police Department received a report of a missing man late Wednesday evening and located Haden dead shortly afterward at 880 Front St., department spokesperson Ashley Nicholes said. The address is home to the federal building that 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,” Nicholes said in a statement. The San Diego County Medical Examiner will determine the official cause and manner of death.

Haden had served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office since 2010 and was a prominent figure within the Southern District of California, which prosecutes federal cases across San Diego and Imperial counties. He served as acting U.S. attorney for roughly two months in 2023 during a leadership transition and again for about two months in 2025.

Southern District U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon confirmed Haden’s death in a statement shared with the San Diego Union-Tribune, describing the loss as one of the office’s darkest days while praising Haden’s character and public service.

“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.”

Career included military service and senior prosecutorial posts

Over his federal legal career, Haden held several senior positions, including first assistant U.S. attorney, the office’s second-ranking role. He also led the Violent Crimes & Human Trafficking Section and the Criminal Division, assignments that placed him at the center of major federal enforcement work in the region.

A San Diego native, Haden attended University City High School before earning a political science degree from Stanford University. He then spent five years in the U.S. Navy, including two overseas deployments. After his military service, he graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law and worked as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Whelan in the Southern District of California.

His work was recognized with the Executive Office for United States Attorneys’ Director’s Award for Superior Performance in a Managerial or Supervisory Role in 2020. In 2024, the San Diego chapter of the Federal Bar Association awarded him the Peter J. Mazza Outstanding Federal Lawyer Award.

Haden’s death has prompted an outpouring of recognition from colleagues for his long public-service record, which spanned military duty, the federal judiciary and more than a decade as a prosecutor. Police said no foul play is suspected, and the Medical Examiner’s findings remain pending.