20 years later: What led investigators to charge an ex-Las Vegas youth pastor with murder in his wife's death

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The criminal charges against a former Las Vegas youth pastor now charged in his wife's 2006 death were unsealed Tuesday, unveiling what led investigators to charge him nearly 20 years later.

WATCH | We have team coverage of the details we know so far and how the investigation led to this arrest 20 years later:

David Vander Meer, 48, is charged with murder and insurance fraud in the death of 29-year-old Bernadette Vander Meer, who fell to her death from Angels Landing at Zion National Park on Aug. 22, 2006. The Washington County Attorney's Office in Utah said David was arrested on Monday by the U.S. Marshals Service.

Authorities long believed Bernadatte's fatal fall during a hike with David was suspicious, but it wasn't until they received a new tip on April 6, 2022, that the case reignited, leading it to be reopened.

Court documents highlight an alleged inappropriate relationship, increased insurance policies and contradicting statements that led to David's arrest.

Timeline of events

According to court documents shared with Channel 13, David and Bernadette married in 1996 and opened a new church called "New Song."

Around 2002, a 14-year-old girl, identified as "SH" in court documents, began attending the church's youth group, "and develops a close relationship with David who is her youth group pastor," court documents state.

On Nov. 19, 2003, Bernadette wrote a note, obtained from computer documents, "expressing loneliness and dissatisfaction" with her marriage to David.

Then, in 2004, the alleged relationship between SH and David became sexual. According to SH, who spoke to detectives after they received the new tip in 2022, David told her around 2004-05 that "the only way they can be together is if Bernadette is not alive." SH stated this was a statement "that has always stuck with her," investigators said.

Around 2004-05, while David was married to Bernadette and after SH turned 18, David paid her rent to live in an apartment "so they had a place to be together and have sex," according to investigators.

On March 11, 2005, investigators said David obtained $150,000 life insurance policies on himself and Bernadatte. According to investigators, in November 2005, David increased both policies by an additional $400,000, bringing coverage to $550,000 each.

Around 2005-06, Bernadette became suspicious of David's behavior and questioned his activities and whereabouts. According to investigators, she showed up at the church looking for David one night while he was allegedly there to have sex with SH.

"David makes SH go out to confront Bernadette and tell her that David was not there," court documents state.

SH told investigators that on Sunday, Aug. 20, a day before David and Bernadette left for their trip to Zion National Park, she met with David at the church to end their relationship and pursue a relationship with a boy from the church.

On Aug. 22, 2006, David and Bernadette went on an early-morning hike to Angel's Landing. David told investigators he briefly turned away to move backpacks while Bernadette stood near the edge. When he turned back, she was gone and he heard her scream as she fell.

In November 2006, after Bernadette's death was ruled accidental, David filed a life insurance claim. He received a payout of approximately $567,439 in July 2007, according to investigators.

SH and David "re-engaged" their sexual relationship two to three months after Bernadette's death, according to court documents.

After being fired from his pastor job in 2008, allegedly for providing underage youth alcohol, SH and David got legally married so he could receive health insurance on SH's plan. According to investigators, SH and David publicly married in 2010 and later divorced in 2014.

Then, in April 2022, the case received new light after Washington County authorities received a tip alleging David had groomed youth group members and maintained a sexual relationship with SH while married to Bernadette.

Following the 2022 tip, investigators interviewed SH, who said the only thing she knew of Bernadette's death was what David had told the youth group.

"David told the youth group he was taking a picture of Bernadette at the top of Angel's Landing, he turned to get something out of his bag, heard a scream and she was gone," court documents state.

Investigators said this statement conflicted with David's original statement to authorities on the day of the incident. He originally told investigators that he noticed their backpacks were in the view of the camera shot.

"He picked up the packs and walked 5-10 feet away. David set the packs down and when he turned around, Bernadette was gone," investigators said. "David heard her scream as she fell. David stated he did not see her trip or hear anything before she fell."

In October 2025, a former boss of David's contacted the Washington County Attorney's Office and said he believed Bernadette's death was not an accident and that David pushed Bernadette.

After receiving these new tips, investigators conducted new interviews with former youth group members, SH, Bernadette's family and former officers involved in the case. Investigators gathered phone records, personal writings and other evidence they say point to motive, financial gain and inconsistencies in David's accounts.

In April 2026, investigators reviewed sunrise and terrain data from Angel's Landing and compared it with David's original statements about lighting conditions that morning. They also analyze decades of fatal falls on the trail and conclude that Bernadette's fall occurred in an unusual location for accidental deaths.