Husband charged in 2006 death of wife in Angel's Landing fall
by Pat Reavy ksl · KSL.comST. GEORGE — Twenty years ago, Bernadette Vander Meer fell to her death from Angel's Landing in Zion National Park under what prosecutors say were "suspicious circumstances."
On Tuesday, the Washington County Attorney's Office announced that her husband, David Vander Meer, of Las Vegas, had been charged in 5th District Court with murder and insurance fraud.
On Aug. 22, 2006, Bernadette Vander Meer, 29, fell approximately 1,200 feet off Angel's Landing to her death.
"After a tip was received, the investigation was reopened by the Investigations Bureau of the Washington County Attorney's Office," the office said Tuesday.
On June 22, U.S. Marshals arrested David Vander Meer on a warrant. No other information was immediately available about why the case was reopened or what led prosecutors to file charges nearly two decades after Bernadette Vander Meer's death.
"If you have any information regarding David Vander Meer which could be relevant to this case, please call the Washington County Attorney's Office at 435-301-7100," the office stated Tuesday.
According to her obituary, "Bernadette worked at the New York-New York Hotel & Casino. She was a worship leader at New Song Christian Church, where her husband and brother-in-law are pastors."
Prosecutors stated Tuesday that David Vander Meer is "a former youth pastor."
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Pat Reavy
Pat Reavy interned with KSL in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL or Deseret News since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.