Pastor Appeared Injured After Wife Fell From Angels Landing — Indicted Two Decades Later, Died Awaiting Extradition

Eyewitness accounts and a National Park Service incident report portray a visibly injured and oddly behaving David Vander Meer in the minutes after his wife, 29-year-old Bernadette Vander Meer, fell from Angels Landing in Zion National Park on Aug. 22, 2006.

Park records show David called 911 to report that a woman had plunged from the 5,770-foot rock formation. As he descended from the summit, he encountered other hikers. One later told park rangers that David said a "man's wife fell off the cliff," without indicating that it was his own wife. Another witness described a scratch on the inside of his left forearm that she likened to a "rug burn." The incident report also notes David left camera equipment and other items behind at the summit; a hiker he met collected some of those belongings after David continued down the trail.

What David Told Investigators

In interviews with members of the Washington County Sheriff's and Attorney's Offices and a park ranger, David said he and Bernadette left their hotel and arrived at Zion National Park about 3:30 a.m. He told investigators it was his second time on the Angels Landing trail and Bernadette's first. According to his account, the couple rode bikes to the trailhead, began hiking around 4:20 a.m., and reached the summit by roughly 6:10 a.m.

Angels LandingCredit: Getty

David said the pair wanted sunrise photos but missed the light and decided to take a silhouette of Bernadette. He told investigators he turned away to move their backpacks out of the frame, heard a scream, and then found Bernadette was gone.

Initial Investigation And Later Reclassification

Authorities conducted a monthlong inquiry in 2006 and reported finding no evidence of foul play; because David's story did not materially change across repeated interviews, Bernadette's death was ruled accidental at the time. Two decades later, however, prosecutors reopened the case after new information emerged and reclassified the death as a homicide.

According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE, investigators learned David had been involved in a yearslong extramarital relationship with a woman he met through a church youth group when she was a teenager. The affidavit states David first met the girl when she was 14 and that she became his mistress at age 16. The woman reportedly told investigators she wanted to end the relationship two days before Bernadette's death, and — after the fatal fall — she returned from California to Las Vegas to sit shiva with David.

Bernadette and David Vander MeerCredit: Courtesy Laura GudenKauf

Indictments, Arrest And Death

In June 2026, a Washington County grand jury indicted David Vander Meer on a murder charge tied to Bernadette's death. He was arrested in Nevada that month; while awaiting extradition to Utah he died from self-inflicted injuries a few days later. In a suicide note, David proclaimed his innocence and wrote that he "didn't kill her," according to reports.

David had also faced an insurance-fraud indictment after authorities said he collected proceeds from Bernadette's life insurance policy, which paid $600,000 following her death.

Notes On Sources And Allegations

This article summarizes details from the National Park Service incident report, interviews and a probable cause affidavit obtained by PEOPLE. Allegations about David's longterm relationship with a woman who was a minor when they first met are reported from that affidavit and have shaped the later criminal investigation; he was indicted but died before facing trial.