A former youth pastor from Las Vegas, David Vander Meer, 49, has been arrested and charged with murder and insurance fraud, more than 20 years after his wife, Bernadette Vander Meer, fell to her death from Angel's Landing in Zion National Park in 2006.
The arrest followed a tip received by law enforcement in 2022, which brought renewed attention to the case and alleged misconduct by Vander Meer during his time as a youth pastor. The tip indicated that Vander Meer had been involved in inappropriate relationships with underage members of his church, including one individual identified as 'SH' who claimed an ongoing sexual relationship from the age of 16 until she was 19 or 20.
According to an affidavit, SH told detectives that Vander Meer had expressed that the only way they could be together was if Bernadette were no longer alive. SH stated she ended their relationship on August 20, 2006, just two days before Vander Meer and Bernadette left for their anniversary hike in Zion National Park.
Bernadette's parents expressed skepticism about the initial ruling of an accident. Her mother, Laura Gudenkauf, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that her daughter was preparing to leave Vander Meer due to his infidelity. Bernadette's father, Richard Gudenkauf, stated his daughter was an experienced hiker and unlikely to have fallen accidentally.
During the original investigation, Vander Meer told authorities he had set up a camera to photograph his wife at sunrise. He claimed that as he moved their backpacks, he heard her scream and she fell. Investigators noted at the time that the couple had recently increased their life insurance policies from $150,000 each to $600,000 each. Handwritten letters from Bernadette indicated marital unhappiness, and witnesses reported she was financially controlled by Vander Meer.
Despite lingering suspicions, Bernadette Vander Meer's fall was initially ruled an accident due to a lack of evidence and limited initial investigation.
The 2022 tip prompted interviews with several former youth group members. These interviews reportedly exposed Vander Meer's alleged infidelity and led to further scrutiny of his statements. Barry Diamond, the senior pastor at the church where Vander Meer previously worked, informed law enforcement that several former youth group members recalled inappropriate relationships with Vander Meer.
According to court documents, Vander Meer and SH rekindled their relationship a few months after Bernadette's death and married in 2008, a marriage that allowed Vander Meer to be covered by SH's health insurance. They later divorced in 2014 after SH discovered evidence of infidelity and contracted a sexually transmitted disease. From 2007, after receiving a life insurance payout of approximately $567,439, Vander Meer reportedly lived lavishly.
Vander Meer was arrested by the U.S. Marshals Service on June 22 and is being held at the Clark County Detention Center in Nevada. His court hearing is scheduled for June 25.