A detail view of the National Park Service and Zion National Park signs outside the entrance of the park in Springdale, Utah, on March 7, 2026. (Photo by Michael Yanow/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
U.S. Marshals arrested former youth pastor David Vander Meer on Monday after prosecutors charged him with murder and insurance fraud in connection with the 2006 death of his wife, Bernadette Vander Meer, at Zion National Park.
Dig deeper:
Authorities initially ruled Bernadette's death an accident and closed the investigation. The case was reopened last year after Barry Diamond, a senior pastor at a church where Vander Meer previously worked, reportedly told investigators he did not believe her death was accidental, according to a probable cause affidavit.
"At the time, due to a lack of evidence, and limited investigation, Bernadette Vander Meer’s fall was ruled an accident and the case was closed — although investigators felt the circumstances were suspicious," the affidavit states.
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The backstory:
Court documents also detail changes Vander Meer made to the couple's life insurance coverage before Bernadette's death. About 17 months before she died on Aug. 22, 2006, he purchased $150,000 life insurance policies for both himself and Bernadette. Eight months later, in November 2005, he increased each policy by an additional $400,000, according to the affidavit.
After Bernadette's death was officially ruled an accident, Vander Meer filed an insurance claim in November 2006. He ultimately received a $567,439 payout in July 2007, which investigators allege he spent on luxury vehicles and all-expenses-paid trips for romantic partners.
Vander Meer told investigators that Bernadette fell from a cliff while the couple was hiking in Zion National Park in Utah. He said he had stepped away to clear obstructions from a camera he had set up to photograph the pair when she fell, claiming he "heard her scream as she fell," according to the affidavit.
Bernadette's father, Richard Gudenkauf, said he never believed that explanation.
"I did a lot of hiking with her," Gudenkauf told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "She was a mountain goat. For her to fall off a cliff? No."
Years later, in April 2022, investigators received a tip from a former member of Vander Meer's youth group who alleged he used "his position of special trust to groom kids."
The woman, identified only as "SH" in the affidavit, told investigators she had been involved in a sexual relationship with Vander Meer when she was 16 years old. She said she ended the relationship the night before Bernadette's death because she "felt it was wrong," according to the affidavit.
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After investigators reopened the case following Diamond's comments, they interviewed SH again. During that interview, she allegedly told detectives Vander Meer had said "the only way they could be together is if Bernadette was not alive," the affidavit states.
Despite ending the relationship, SH later reunited with Vander Meer and married him in 2008. According to the affidavit, she said she did so "so David could be on SH's health insurance." The two divorced in 2014, and investigators say Vander Meer later married at least two more times.
Diamond also told the Washington County Attorney's Office that multiple former members of Vander Meer's youth group reported having sexual relationships with him while they were underage.
The affidavit describes one incident in which SH and Vander Meer were having sex at a church when Bernadette, who "was becoming suspicious," arrived at the building and began banging on the door looking for her husband.
Investigators further allege Vander Meer "knowingly gave misinformation" during interviews by denying he had ever been unfaithful to Bernadette, a claim they determined was false.
"David had a lot to lose if Bernadette found out about his relationship with SH. David stood to lose his job as a youth pastor at a church, due to the infidelity. David stood to lose his marriage. Based on SH's age at the time their relationship became physical, David faced possible criminal charges and being a registered sex offender," the affidavit reads.
What's next:
The investigator who prepared the affidavit recommended Vander Meer be arrested without bail, but a judge ultimately set bail at $100,000.
Vander Meer has not yet made his initial court appearance and is being held at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, according to NBC News.
The Source: FOX News contributed to this repot. This story is based on information from a probable cause affidavit filed by investigators, statements from the Washington County Attorney's Office, comments from Bernadette Vander Meer's father published by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and reporting from NBC News on Vander Meer's arrest and detention status. This story was reported from Los Angeles.