Snapshot · Dateline NBC
The night before David and Bernadette left for Zion, witness S.H. tried to break off her relationship with David, who told her the only way they could be together was if 'Bernadette was not alive.'
Where this was said
At 17:32 · chapter starts 16:55
The crack that opened the case wide came from a witness identified only by her initials: S.H. She told investigators Vander Meer began grooming her when she was 14 years old and the relationship turned sexual when she was 16 — while he was still married to Bernadette. The night before the couple drove to Zion National Park, S.H. tried to end the relationship. David told her the only way they could ever be together was if Bernadette 'was not alive.' The next morning, Bernadette fell off the cliff. After her death, S.H. became David Vander Meer's second wife — before he married again a third time.
Key witness S.H. told investigators that David Vander Meer began grooming her when she was 14 and the relationship became sexual when she was 16, while he was still married to Bernadette.
The night before David and Bernadette drove to Zion, witness S.H. tried to break off her relationship with David. He told her the only way they could ever be together was if Bernadette 'was not alive.' After Bernadette died, S.H. became David's second wife.
David Vander Meer collected approximately $567,000 in life insurance proceeds after Bernadette's death, and the morning they left for Zion, Bernadette told her mother they had recently increased their coverage.
David Vander Meer collected $567,000 in life insurance after Bernadette's death. That morning, Bernadette told her mother they had recently increased their coverage and tried to show her the policy online — but the password had been changed. She said she'd figure it out later. She never got the chance.
Before Uber, Kalanick built a peer-to-peer file-sharing system and was sued for a quarter of a trillion dollars by 33 major media companies.
CIA operative Edwin Wilson, part of the illegal arms network used by Oliver North, was sentenced to 52 years for supplying Libya with 10,000 machine guns and 20 tons of C4.
US prosecutors sought a 186-year prison sentence for Kim Dotcom, largely because of his financial support for WikiLeaks.
Mario Tabraue, a central figure in Monsters of God linked to drug trafficking and murder, was sentenced to over 100 years in prison but served only 12 years.
Zelig Williams disappeared on October 3rd, 2024 after leaving his mother's home in Columbia, South Carolina and has not been seen since.
Dateline: Missing in America Season 5 features six new unsolved missing-persons mysteries, hoping a listener may hold a crucial clue.
At a high school party, Strickland broke one victim's nose, jaw, and knocked out teeth requiring multiple reconstructive surgeries, resulting in two felony GBI charges.
Joyce LePage's murder has remained unsolved for 55 years despite active investigation from the start.
Joyce's own letter revealed that Mark Wadley had once stayed at a mental institution for trying to strangle people — a detail investigators apparently never followed up on.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.