ANDREW HADEN: FORMER ACTING U.S. ATTORNEY FOUND DEAD INSIDE SAN DIEGO FEDERAL BUILDING

A respected federal prosecutor who twice served as acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California has been found dead inside a federal building in downtown San Diego, hours after he was reported missing.

Andrew Haden, 48, was discovered on August 19 inside an office at the Edward J. Schwartz Federal Building, where the U.S. Attorney’s Office is located. Authorities say no foul play is suspected, while the San Diego County Medical Examiner investigates the official cause and manner of death.

A MISSING-PERSON REPORT LED POLICE TO THE FEDERAL BUILDING

San Diego police received a report that Haden was missing Wednesday evening.

Officers were then sent to the federal building at 880 Front Street in downtown San Diego.

Inside, they found Haden unresponsive.

Police said investigators responded “out of an abundance of caution” and found no indication of foul play. The medical examiner is responsible for determining the official cause and manner of death.

Reports citing a source familiar with the investigation said evidence at the scene suggested Haden may have taken his own life. That detail has not been officially confirmed by the medical examiner, so authorities have not publicly established a final cause of death.

 HE WAS ONE OF SAN DIEGO’S MOST EXPERIENCED FEDERAL PROSECUTORS

Haden had worked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California since 2010.

During his career, he handled major criminal cases and held several senior positions, including chief of the Violent Crimes & Human Trafficking Section and chief of the Criminal Division.

He also served as first assistant U.S. attorney, effectively the office’s second-in-command.

During leadership transitions, Haden twice stepped into the role of acting U.S. attorney — first in 2023 and again in 2025.

 FROM STANFORD TO THE NAVY — THEN FEDERAL COURT

Haden was a San Diego native who graduated from University City High School before attending Stanford University.

After earning his bachelor’s degree in political science, he served five years in the U.S. Navy, including two overseas deployments.

He later earned his law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and clerked for U.S. District Judge Thomas J. Whelan before joining the federal prosecutor’s office through the Department of Justice Honors Program.

His career included prosecutions involving violent crime, public corruption, firearms trafficking and child exploitation.

He also taught at the University of San Diego School of Law, including courses related to human trafficking.

 COLLEAGUES ARE DESCRIBING A PROFOUND LOSS

U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon confirmed Haden’s death to employees and described the moment as one of the darkest days in the office’s history.

But Gordon emphasized that Haden’s life was defined by service, friendship and integrity.

Chief U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant also remembered Haden as a highly respected and well-loved member of the legal community. Even defense attorneys who frequently faced him in court described him as someone they respected beyond the courtroom.

Haden is survived by his wife and children.

 THE QUESTIONS NOW SURROUNDING HIS FINAL HOURS

The circumstances of Haden’s death remain under investigation.

Authorities have not publicly disclosed why he was reported missing, when he was last seen alive, or what happened during the hours before police found him inside the federal building.

Those details may become clearer once the medical examiner completes its investigation.

For now, officials are emphasizing one important point:

There is no indication of foul play.

 A CAREER BUILT AROUND SERVICE

Andrew Haden spent more than 15 years working in federal law enforcement and rose to some of the highest positions within the Southern District of California’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.

His death has left colleagues, judges and attorneys on both sides of the courtroom mourning a prosecutor remembered not simply for the cases he handled, but for the person he was outside the courtroom.

A veteran prosecutor. A former acting U.S. attorney. A Navy veteran. A husband and father.

Andrew Haden’s career was devoted to public service. Now, a federal legal community is left grieving — while investigators work to establish the full circumstances surrounding his final hours.