Case closed for nearly 20 years
Bernadette Vander Meer's death was ruled accidental and the case remained closed for nearly 20 years before investigators reopened it.
Snapshot · Dateline NBC
Prosecutors' love triangle theory. Youth pastor accused of wife's murder. Plus, June Diane Raphael.
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Jul 2, 2026
Where this was said
The Vander Meer Cold Case: 20 Years to an Arrest
At 12:53 · chapter starts 12:47
Just before sunrise on August 22, 2006, David and Bernadette Vander Meer set off to hike Angels Landing — one of Zion National Park's most treacherous trails. Bernadette never came back down. David told investigators she had accidentally fallen while he was setting up a camera to capture the sunrise. East Idaho News reporter Nate Eaton, who spoke with Bernadette's family for his podcast Courtroom Insider, walks through the backstory: the couple met as teenagers in a church play, married young, and were living in Las Vegas where David served as a youth pastor. Investigators were suspicious at the time but decided they lacked enough evidence to call it a crime. The case was closed as an accident and stayed that way for nearly two decades.
David Vander Meer: Youth Pastor, Murderer?
In August 2006, youth pastor David Vander Meer hiked Angels Landing at Zion National Park with his wife Bernadette before sunrise — and came back alone, saying she had fallen. Investigators were suspicious but couldn't prove a crime, so the case was closed as an accident for nearly two decades.
Fired for Giving Teenagers Alcohol and Encouraging Gambling
Around 2008, David Vander Meer was fired from his youth pastor position after church leaders discovered he was throwing parties for teenagers, giving them alcohol, and encouraging gambling. He then reinvented himself as a school counselor and yoga instructor in Las Vegas.
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