Prosecutors say new information reopened the 2006 Angels Landing case.
ST. GEORGE, UT — A former Las Vegas youth pastor has been charged with murder and insurance fraud nearly 20 years after his wife fell to her death from Angels Landing in Zion National Park, prosecutors said.
David Howard Vander Meer, 48, is accused in the Aug. 22, 2006, death of his wife, Bernadette Vander Meer, 29, during an anniversary trip to southern Utah. The Washington County Attorney’s Office said the case was reopened after a new tip reached investigators in 2022. The charges bring fresh court action to a death that authorities had long viewed as suspicious but had not previously charged as a homicide.
Charging records say the couple hiked before sunrise to the top of Angels Landing, one of Zion National Park’s best-known overlooks. David Vander Meer told investigators at the time that he had turned away or was moving backpacks when he heard Bernadette Vander Meer scream as she fell. He said he then ran along the trail to find a place with better cell service to call 911. Her body was found hours later at the base of Angels Landing. Park officials said at the time the fall was from the overlook area. The drop from the top to the slope below was described as about 1,200 feet.
The charges were filed in 5th District Court in Washington County and remained under seal until Vander Meer was arrested. Authorities said U.S. Marshals took him into custody Monday in Las Vegas. Prosecutors then made the case public Tuesday. Court records accuse him of murder, a first-degree felony, and insurance fraud, a second-degree felony. The records say the investigation was reopened after a tip from a former church supervisor, who told investigators he believed Bernadette Vander Meer’s death was not an accident and that David Vander Meer had pushed her. Vander Meer has not been convicted, and the allegations must be tested in court.
Investigators allege Vander Meer had been involved in a sexual relationship with a girl who first attended his church youth group when she was 14. Court records identify her by initials. The records say she later told detectives the relationship became sexual in 2004, while Vander Meer was serving as a youth pastor and remained married to Bernadette Vander Meer. Investigators wrote that Vander Meer told the girl around 2004 or 2005 that the only way they could be together was if Bernadette Vander Meer “were not alive.” The woman told investigators the statement stayed with her. Records also say the woman, then of legal age, ended a four-year relationship with Vander Meer the day before he and his wife left for Zion.
Insurance records are part of the case. Investigators say David and Bernadette Vander Meer each had life insurance policies worth about $150,000 after they bought a home. Prosecutors allege the policies were later increased, bringing the coverage to roughly $550,000 or $600,000 each, depending on the record cited in the case file. After Bernadette Vander Meer died, investigators say David Vander Meer collected more than $567,000 in life insurance proceeds. Charging documents also point to statements they say conflicted with conditions on the mountain that morning, including visibility before sunrise. A search of the couple’s hotel room did not show signs of violence, and investigators reported no signs of a struggle on items found with Bernadette Vander Meer’s body.
Bernadette Vander Meer worked at the New York-New York Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. A coworker later contacted police and raised concern about the circumstances of the fall, according to the case records. The coworker told investigators she had worked with Bernadette Vander Meer for six years but had met David Vander Meer only once for a few minutes. She also said he did not attend work functions or parties with his wife’s coworkers. The couple had married in 1996 and later helped start a church known as New Song, according to investigative records. Those records also say Bernadette Vander Meer wrote in 2003 about loneliness and dissatisfaction in the marriage.
Investigators also reviewed Vander Meer’s conduct after the death. Court records say he was later fired from his church job after allegations that he held parties for underage people and provided alcohol at his home. Records say he married the former youth group member about two years after Bernadette Vander Meer’s death, and the marriage later ended in divorce in 2014. The charging documents do not say Vander Meer was charged with a crime related to sexual misconduct or abuse of a minor. Prosecutors are now focused on whether the fatal fall was intentional and whether the insurance payout was obtained through fraud.
The case moves next through Utah’s 5th District Court, with prosecutors expected to seek Vander Meer’s transfer from Nevada if he remains in custody there. No trial date was listed in the initial public reports. The Washington County Attorney’s Office has said the investigation remains open. Officials have asked for information tied to the case, especially from people who knew the couple, the church community or the events before and after the Zion trip.
Nearly two decades after Bernadette Vander Meer died on one of Utah’s most famous trails, the case now stands as a homicide prosecution. Vander Meer is in custody after his arrest, and the next key step is his first court appearance in Washington County.
Author note: Last updated June 24, 2026.