David Vander Meer, a former Las Vegas youth pastor, died just days after his arrest on charges of murdering his wife, Bernadette Vander Meer, who fell thousands of feet to her death while hiking in Utah's Zion National Park in 2006. At a scheduled extradition hearing on Thursday, a Las Vegas judge announced Vander Meer's death, according to KSNV. The Las Vegas police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Case reopened after new information
In 2022, investigators reopened the inquiry into Bernadette's fatal fall from Angels Landing after receiving new information that David had groomed and been sexually involved with a minor in his youth group ministry at the time, according to a court affidavit. The woman, now an adult, told investigators that David Vander Meer had said they could only be together if Bernadette was not alive, court documents state. Local authorities had initially ruled her death an accident, but prosecutors recently accused David of being responsible. He was arrested on Monday and charged with murder.
The 2006 incident and insurance payout
In August 2006, David and Bernadette hiked in Zion to celebrate an anniversary. David told investigators he had walked away to move their backpacks before a photograph when he heard Bernadette scream and turned around to find her missing. Before her death, David secured life insurance policies for both of them, increasing coverage from $150,000 each to $550,000 each. He received a payout of $567,439 after her death and subsequently lived “lavishly,” according to investigators. He also faced an insurance fraud charge.
Family reaction
A 2006 obituary for Bernadette said she was survived by “her adoring husband, David.” Earlier this week, when prosecutors announced David's arrest, Bernadette's mother said her daughter was “vindicated,” according to 8 News Now. Her father, Richard Gudenkauf, told the station: “We’ve been waiting on the Lord for this day.”
