Youth pastor accused of killing his wife at Zion National Park dies before court hearing
The former youth pastor’s wife died in 2006 after a fall at Zion National Park (Getty)
David Vander Meer, a former youth pastor and Las Vegas school counselor, was arrested Monday in Las Vegas by U.S. Marshals on charges of murder and insurance fraud.
The charges stemmed from the 2006 death of his wife, Bernadette Vander Meer, who fell approximately 1,200 feet from the Angels Landing trail in Zion National Park.
The investigation into her 2006 death was recently reopened after law enforcement received a tip, the prosecutor’s office said.
Vander Meer died in custody on Thursday before a scheduled extradition hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court, where Judge Eric Goodman announced his passing.
Las Vegas police later said that a 49-year-old inmate died after being transported from the Clark County Detention Center to a hospital for treatment following “self-inflicted injuries.”
