Medical Examiner Rules Death Of David Vander Meer A Suicide After He Was Found Unresponsive In Jail

The Clark County Medical Examiner has ruled that David Vander Meer died by hanging and that his death was a suicide. Vander Meer, who had been arrested days earlier and charged in the 2006 death of his first wife, Bernadette Vander Meer, was discovered unresponsive in a single-occupant cell at the Clark County Detention Center (CCDC) on the night of June 24 and was pronounced dead the following morning.

What The Report Says

According to a case report obtained by PEOPLE, jail staff found Vander Meer unresponsive shortly after 9 p.m. on June 24. An officer performed lifesaving measures at the detention center before Vander Meer was transported to a nearby hospital. He was declared dead at 2:36 a.m. on June 25 at the University Medical Center, the report states.

Bernadette and David Vander Meer in 2006Credit: Courtesy Laura GudenKauf

Cause And Manner Of Death

The medical examiner’s report lists hanging as the cause of death and classifies the manner as suicide. The report redacts the precise description of Vander Meer’s injuries but documents that officers administered emergency care upon discovering him.

Conditions In Custody

Vander Meer had been placed in protective custody in a single-occupant cell after his arrest. Officer J. Shulz told investigators he had checked the cell about 30 minutes before finding Vander Meer and that, at that earlier check, the inmate had been “sitting upright and awake.” The report indicates Vander Meer displayed no suicidal ideation during initial screenings at the facility and had no known medical conditions.

Angels LandingCredit: Getty

Documents Found

Following his death, a handwritten suicide note and a handwritten will were recovered from the cell. The contents of both documents are redacted in the file released by authorities.

Allegations In The Original Case

Vander Meer had been arrested on charges alleging he shoved his then-29-year-old wife, Bernadette, off Angels Landing — a dramatic 1,200-foot rock formation in Utah’s Zion National Park — in 2006. A probable cause affidavit filed by prosecutors alleges Vander Meer stood to gain from Bernadette’s death through a $600,000 life insurance payout and that he began a new life with a teenage mistress following her death.

After Bernadette’s death, Vander Meer reportedly married the woman identified as his mistress; that marriage ended in divorce in 2014 amid allegations of his infidelity. He subsequently married two more times and was working as a school guidance counselor at the time of his 2026 arrest. In addition to the murder charge, Vander Meer faced insurance-fraud allegations and the prospect of life in prison if convicted.

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