Overview
- The arrest, which took place Monday, June 22, by U.S. Marshals in Las Vegas, charged David Vander Meer with murder and insurance fraud in his wife Bernadette’s 2006 fall at Angels Landing.
- Police say Vander Meer was taken from the Clark County Detention Center to a hospital for self‑sustained injuries and was pronounced dead the next day; the Clark County coroner will release the official cause and manner of death.
- A probable‑cause affidavit alleges Vander Meer groomed a youth‑group member beginning when she was about 14 and later had a sexual relationship with her, and that he told her Bernadette could not live for them to be together.
- Investigators note Vander Meer increased life‑insurance coverage before Bernadette’s death and collected about $567,439 in a 2007 payout, which prosecutors say formed part of the renewed motive review.
- The suspect’s death stops the planned extradition and trial, leaves key forensic and testimonial allegations unresolved, and has prompted scrutiny of the church and the Las Vegas school that employed Vander Meer as a counselor.