Ex-Youth Pastor Charged 20 Years After Wife's Fatal Fall
A former church youth pastor has been charged with murder nearly two decades after his wife fell to her death from one of Utah's most dangerous hiking trails.
David Vander Meer, 48, was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Monday after investigators reopened the case.
What Happened at Angels Landing
Bernadette Vander Meer, then 29, fell to her death from Angels Landing in Zion National Park on August 22, 2006, while the couple hiked before sunrise to mark their anniversary.
Vander Meer told investigators he had stepped away to move backpacks for a photo when he turned around and Bernadette was gone, according to an arrest affidavit cited by KSL. He said he heard her scream as she fell.
The fall, from a point investigators describe as a sheer cliff with no vegetation or ledges to break a fall, was initially ruled an accident due to limited evidence. The case was closed, though investigators at the time felt the circumstances were suspicious.
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The Tip That Reopened the Case
The case sat closed for 16 years until 2022, when investigators received a tip from a former member of Vander Meer's church youth group.
That source alleged Vander Meer had used his position as youth pastor to begin an inappropriate relationship with a girl in his ministry, one that had been ongoing at the time of Bernadette's death.
A former boss of Vander Meer's also contacted the Washington County Attorney's Office last October, telling investigators he believed Bernadette's death was not an accident, according to KSL's reporting on the affidavit.
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What Investigators Say They Found
Court documents allege Vander Meer had been in an extramarital relationship that began when the other party was a minor and continued for roughly four years, ending the day before the Zion trip.
Investigators say that relationship gives the case a motive it didn't have in 2006. According to the affidavit, Vander Meer had previously told that individual the only way they could be together was if Bernadette "were not alive."
Investigators also examined the couple's finances, finding that life insurance policies on Bernadette had been increased from roughly $150,000 to around $600,000 shortly before her death. Vander Meer received a payout of approximately $567,000 in 2007 after the fall was ruled accidental.
A coworker of Bernadette's later told police she had been concerned about the circumstances of the death, noting Vander Meer rarely attended her work functions and had purchased an expensive SUV using insurance proceeds after the couple sold a previous property.
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What Happens Next
Vander Meer was charged Tuesday with murder and insurance fraud by the Washington County Attorney's Office, and was being held at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas as of this week.
It remains unclear whether he will be extradited to Utah to face the charges, or what specific new evidence ultimately moved investigators from a closed accident file to a murder charge.
Bernadette's father, Richard Gudenkauf, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he never believed his daughter's death was accidental, describing her as an experienced hiker who would not have simply fallen from the trail.
Key Takeaways
- David Vander Meer, 48, a former youth pastor, has been charged with murder and insurance fraud in the 2006 death of his wife, Bernadette Vander Meer.
- Bernadette fell to her death from Angels Landing in Zion National Park on August 22, 2006; the case was initially ruled an accident.
- The case was reopened in 2022 after a tip alleged Vander Meer had a relationship with a minor in his church youth group at the time of the death.
- Investigators say the couple's life insurance was increased from $150,000 to $600,000 shortly before Bernadette's death.
- Vander Meer was arrested by U.S. Marshals in Las Vegas and is currently held at the Clark County Detention Center.
Sources
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Rachel Hayes reports on international affairs, geopolitics, and breaking world news. Based in London, she covers stories shaping the UK and global political landscape.
