Former acting US attorney died by suicide inside San Diego federal building, coroner says

Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times on Aug 28, 2026

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The former acting assistant U.S. attorney whose body was found last week in a San Diego federal building died by suicide, the San Diego County medical examiner's office said in a statement.

Andrew Haden, 48, was found dead in an office inside the Edward J. Schwartz federal building on Aug. 19 shortly after being reported missing.

The medical examiner confirmed Friday that the cause of death was hanging and the manner of death was suicide.

Haden was a veteran prosecutor who 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 Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation 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.

A fundraiser for Haden's wife and two children had raised more than $240,000 as of Friday.

"Andrew was so much more than a husband, father, and friend," the site read. "He was a true pillar of our community — someone who showed up for others, gave generously of his time and energy, and made a lasting impact on the people fortunate enough to know him."

(Times staff writers Clara Harter, Richard Winton and Hailey Branson-Potts contributed to this report.)