LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — We've learned a little more about how a man accused of killing his wife 20 years ago was found dead in his cell.
David Vander Meer, 49, was arrested on Monday, June 22, for murder and insurance fraud charges for the death of Bernadette Vander Meer.
She died after falling from Angels Landing in Zion National Park in August 2006.
Channel 13 was in court the morning of June 25 to see Vander Meer during his first court appearance on these charges, but it was there we learned he had been found dead in his jail cell.
WATCH the full hearing here:
According to an incident report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Vander Meer was found Wednesday night around 9:30 p.m. the night before his court appearance.
Responding officers attempted life-saving measures until he was taken to University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 2:36 a.m. Thursday.
WATCH | What we know about the incident so far
Vander Meer was held in a single-occupant cell and had no known medical conditions and never mentioned being suicidal during his health/mental health screenings, according to the incident report. He also reportedly had no issues with any other inmates before he was placed in isolation, or officers since he arrived.
The report also noted Vander Meer "left a handwritten suicide letter and a handwritten will in his cell which has been photographed and impounded."
Channel 13's senior reporter Alyssa Bethencourt spoke to Metro to find out what the surveillance video showed, how Vander Meer had writing materials, and why the report appears to have left out key details about his death.
Police told her that Vander Meer's death remains under investigation by their Critical Incident Review team.
The Clark County Coroner's Office has not released Vander Meer's cause or manner of death with us, despite our repeated requests for them.
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