New Details Emerge in Death of Pastor Accused of Pushing Wife Off Cliff
David Vander Meer, a former Las Vegas youth pastor charged with murdering his wife two decades after she fell to her death at Zion National Park, died by suicide while in custody at the Clark County Detention Center, according to a police report released this week. He left behind a handwritten note and a will in his cell.
Vander Meer, 49, was arrested June 22 at a Summerlin yoga studio in connection with the 2006 death of his then-wife, Bernadette Vander Meer, who fell 1,200 feet from Angels Landing, one of the most dangerous trails at Zion National Park in Utah, during what was described as a 10th-anniversary hiking trip. He was awaiting extradition to Utah to face charges of murder and insurance fraud when he died June 25, the day he was scheduled to appear in court.
What the New Police Report Reveals
A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department report released this week confirmed that Vander Meer left a handwritten suicide letter and a handwritten will in his cell, both of which were photographed and logged as evidence. According to the report, an officer conducting a routine check found Vander Meer unresponsive on the floor of his cell around 11:30 p.m. on June 24.
About 30 minutes earlier, the same officer had observed him sitting upright and awake. Corrections staff began emergency medical care immediately, and Vander Meer was transported to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead the following morning. Specific details about his injuries were redacted from the report. Neither the Clark County coroner's office nor police have officially released his cause and manner of death.
The Case Against Him
Bernadette Vander Meer's death was originally ruled accidental, though investigators at the time noted the circumstances were "suspicious." The case remained closed until 2022, when a former member of David Vander Meer's youth group came forward alleging he had used his position to groom children.
According to court documents, one woman told investigators she had been in an ongoing sexual relationship with Vander Meer starting when she was 16, continuing until she was 19 or 20, and that she had ended the relationship with him the night before he left for the anniversary trip with his wife.
An arrest affidavit stated that the woman recalled Vander Meer telling her the only way they could be together was if Bernadette was no longer alive. The case was reopened further after Barry Diamond, a former senior pastor at the church where Vander Meer had worked, contacted Utah's Washington County Attorney's Office in October 2025 to say he believed Bernadette's death had not been an accident and that David had pushed her.
Investigators also alleged Vander Meer increased his and Bernadette's life insurance policies from roughly $150,000 to $600,000 shortly before her death, and that he ultimately collected more than $567,000 in payouts afterward, some of which he allegedly used to buy vehicles for members of his youth group.
New Detail: His Behavior at Her Memorial
Kathy Page, a former youth leader at Bernadette's church who had known her since she was a young teenager, told People that she met privately with Bernadette about a month before her death and told her she suspected David was having an affair. Page said she was later stunned to see the woman she believed was David's mistress sitting beside him at Bernadette's memorial service, held six days after her death and attended by more than 600 people.
Page also said Vander Meer did not appear distraught at the service. "I didn't see the anguish. I was in anguish at this funeral. We were sobbing. I didn't see that with him," she said. "And then your mind tries to justify and fill in the blanks. I try to give benefit of the doubt if I can, but I still didn't like it."
A Case That Will Never Reach Trial
Vander Meer's death effectively closes the criminal case against him, since a defendant's death ends prosecution and prevents the allegations from being tested in court. Bernadette's parents, Richard and Laura Gudenkauf, told local media they viewed his death as a form of justice, even if not the outcome they originally sought. "I would describe it as justice. A relief to not have to go to court," Laura Gudenkauf said.
Vander Meer had no prior criminal record in Clark County and had held several positions of public trust throughout his life, including youth pastor, school counselor and yoga instructor. Experts who study jail deaths noted that defendants without prior criminal history who face high-profile charges are statistically at higher risk of suicide while in custody.
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