Former youth pastor dies after murder charge in wife’s Zion death
A 20-year-old Zion National Park homicide case reached court only for the accused to die in custody first, leaving Bernadette Vander Meer’s death unresolved.
The murder and insurance fraud case against David Vander Meer collapsed into a death investigation Thursday when Judge Eric Goodman said the 49-year-old died in custody before his extradition hearing. Vander Meer had been arrested Monday in Summerlin, Nevada, and was held at the Clark County Detention Center after Utah charged him in the 2006 death of his wife, Bernadette Vander Meer.
Bernadette Vander Meer, 29, died on Aug. 22, 2006, after falling roughly 1,200 feet from Angels Landing in Zion National Park during an anniversary trip with her husband. Her death was initially ruled an accident, but investigators later reopened the case after receiving a tip in 2022 and concluded the circumstances were suspicious.
Prosecutors said investigators believed David Vander Meer had been grooming an underage girl in his church youth group and was having an affair with her around the time of Bernadette’s death. Prosecutors said Bernadette suspected infidelity and that the couple had discussed divorce. Prosecutors charged Vander Meer with murder, with a domestic violence enhancement, and insurance fraud.
Vander Meer collected about $567,000 in life-insurance proceeds after Bernadette died.
Her father, Richard Gudenkauf, said, “We’ve been waiting on the Lord for this day.”
The Washington County Attorney’s Office asked anyone with information to contact investigators. Vander Meer had also been listed as a counselor on the website of Somerset Academy Lone Mountain in Las Vegas, and the school placed him on administrative leave. Las Vegas police said a 49-year-old inmate died after being transported to a local hospital for treatment for self-inflicted injuries.
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