Maricopa County Attorney Allister Adel died due to health complications on Saturday.
Adel was 45 years old. She is survived by her husband, David DeNitto, and two children.
“This May we would have celebrated 20 years of marriage. My family and I are utterly heartbroken by this unimaginable loss,” DeNitto said in a statement made by her family.
Adel assumed office as Maricopa County Attorney in 2019 and resigned in March 2022.
Adel was the choice to replace Bill Montgomery as county attorney in 2019 after Montgomery was named to the Arizona Supreme Court. Adel was reelected to the position in 2020, becoming the first woman elected to the role.
On election night 2020, Adel was in the hospital having emergency surgery for a brain bleed, which was the result of a fall at home.
In August 2021, Adel was admitted to an in-patient facility for anxiety and alcohol abuse and then transferred to a facility in California for additional treatment.
Post treatment, Adel was criticized for her inadequate handling of 180 misdemeanor criminal cases that were dropped because her office didn’t file before the statute of limitation expired.