'She was getting ready to leave him': Cheating husband shoved wife off 1,200-foot cliff during anniversary hike after telling mistress they could be together if spouse 'was not alive,' cops say

A Nevada antheral has been charged with murder aft allegedly shoving his woman to her decease from a 1,200-foot cliff successful Utah's Zion National Park. Police accidental the antheral was a pastor astatine the clip and had been having an matter with a teen successful his younker radical ministry, whom helium aboriginal married.

"(She) recalls David telling her, the lone mode they could beryllium unneurotic is if Bernadette was not alive," an apprehension affidavit obtained by Utah NBC affiliate KSL says astir David Vander Meer, his slain woman Bernadette Vander Meer, and the now-grown teen who was successful a narration with David astatine the clip of Bernadette's decease successful 2006.

For years, constabulary thought Bernadette Vander Meer's decease was "an accidental fall," according to KSL, aft she was recovered astatine the bottommost of Angels Landing, a fashionable way wherever accidental deaths and falls had occurred antecedently but weren't common. Officials said she fell from a tallness of 1,200 feet.

David and Bernadette Vander Meer, who lived successful Las Vegas, hiked to the apical of the way to instrumentality sunrise photos during an day trip, according to the pastor turned yoga teacher. David Vander Meer told constabulary that Bernadette approached the borderline for him to instrumentality a photograph of her and fell arsenic helium was mounting speech their backpacks and grabbing "something retired of his bag," according to the affidavit.

"David acceptable the packs down and erstwhile helium turned around, Bernadette was gone," the affidavit says, citing statements helium provided to police. "David heard her shriek arsenic she fell. David stated helium did not spot her travel oregon perceive thing earlier she fell."

Due to a deficiency of grounds and constricted probe astatine the time, authorities ruled Bernadette Vander Meer's autumn an mishap and closed the case. Investigators, however, accidental they "felt the circumstances were suspicious," according to the affidavit.

In 2022, constabulary received a extremity "from a erstwhile younker radical member, that stated David Vander Meer was employed arsenic a younker pastor successful a church, and had been utilizing his presumption of peculiar spot to groom kids" and that "he had groomed and actively been successful a intersexual relationship" with a teen miss successful his ministry, per the affidavit.

The miss was allegedly successful a intersexual narration with David Vander Meer from the clip she was 16 until she was 19 oregon 20 years aged earlier attempting to extremity the narration the time earlier helium near connected the day trip. They "re-engaged" their narration astir 2 to 3 months aft Bernadette Vander Meer's death, the affidavit says.

The now-grown teen was interviewed by constabulary and told them she legally joined David Vander Meer successful 2008 "so David could beryllium connected (her) wellness insurance," according to the affidavit. "(She) and David publically joined successful 2010," the papers says.

In November 2006, David Vander Meer allegedly filed a beingness security assertion aft Bernadette's decease was ruled accidental. He received a payout of astir $567,439 successful July 2007, according to police.

As a result, David Vander Meer is besides charged with security fraud successful summation to murder. He was fired from his pastor occupation successful 2008 for allegedly giving intoxicant to juveniles. The now-grown teen helium was successful a narration with divorced him successful 2014 implicit infidelity accusations.

Police accidental that detectives interviewed David Vander Meer aft getting the extremity successful 2022 and helium began giving them conflicting statements. Instead of grabbing thing retired of his container aft mounting their packs aside, arsenic helium claimed successful 2006, David told the detectives that the packs were successful the presumption of the camera changeable and helium was moving them retired of the way.

In October 2025, a erstwhile brag astatine David Vander Meer's religion allegedly contacted the Washington County Attorney's Office and said helium believed Bernadette Vander Meer's decease was not an mishap "and that David had pushed Bernadette," according to the affidavit.

Police accidental that David Vander Meer was surviving "lavishly" disconnected Bernadette Vander Meer's beingness security wealth aft her death. He bought the teen helium had the matter with a car, "along with different conveyance for different pistillate from the younker group," according to the affidavit.

David Vander Meer besides began taking kids from his younker radical "on respective trips, purchasing level tickets … each expenses covered," the affidavit says.

In April 2026, investigators reviewed sunrise and terrain information from Angels Landing and compared it with David Vander Meer's archetypal statements aft his wife's death, according to Las Vegas ABC affiliate KTNV. They analyzed the lighting conditions that greeting and recovered that the prima did not emergence until 34 minutes aft helium called constabulary to study the fall. David had claimed that it "was starting to get light" retired arsenic they approached the apical of Angels Landing.

Police accidental David Vander Meer and Bernadette Vander Meer had marital problems and helium "knew his woman was unhappy and they talked of divorce," according to the affidavit.

"David knew his woman was suspicious of the infidelity and was catching connected to his actions," the papers says, per KTNV. "In interviews, David knowingly gave misinformation to instrumentality enforcement[.] David made conflicting statements to others astir however the incidental occurred. Evidence shows that David's recollection of the visibility that greeting to officers, could not person been close arsenic the prima did not emergence till overmuch later."

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Police and prosecutors accidental David Vander Meer committed the transgression of execution "by intentionally pushing his wife," according to the affidavit.

"She was getting acceptable to permission him," said Bernadette Vander Meer's mother, Laura Gudenkauf, successful an interrogation with the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "She told him if helium didn't change, she was going to divorcement him due to the fact that helium kept spending each this clip with this different woman."

Richard Gudenkauf, Bernadette Vander Meer's father, said that erstwhile helium heard the quality astir David Vander Meer's arrest, helium shouted, "Thank you, Jesus!"

He told the Review-Journal, "I did a batch of hiking with her. She was a upland goat. For her to autumn disconnected a cliff? No."

David Vander Meer is scheduled to look successful tribunal connected Thursday.