Nearly 20 years ago, a Las Vegas Youth Pastor, David Vander Meer, pushed his 29-year-old wife off the side of a mile-high cliff because he wanted to sleep with other women. His story unravels as his former teenage mistress reveals the details of their relationship, leading to the pastor’s arrest on June 22, 2026.

Utah Pastor and His Wife

Utah Pastor David Vander Meer and his first wife, 29-year-old Bernadette Vander Meer, married in September 1996 after a meet-cute at a church theater production. While Bernadette’s mother was happy to see her daughter glowing with her new life partner, her father was not as thrilled.

About a decade after the couple got married, Bernadette’s parents separated, and her mother moved in with the couple. Their home was always filled with teenagers, particularly from David’s youth group at church. There was one teen in particular, police identified as SH, who seemed to be extra close to David.

Bernadette grew tired of her mistreatment and neglect by her husband and, 10 years into their marriage, asked for a divorce. However, he made her question the optics, and she decided to not pursue it. Little did she know, it would be the gravest mistake she ever made.

Trip to Zion National Park

The married couple began planning their wedding anniversary trip to Zion National Park in Washington County, Utah. Beforehand, they reviewed their life insurance policies and increased each coverage from $150,000 to $600,000. 

On August 22, 2006, at around 4:20 p.m., the couple set out for an early morning hike to Angels Landing, a mile-high rock formation. They arrived at the top just in time to see the sunrise, and grabbed their camera to capture the seemingly perfect moment. 

David recalled with investigators that he took a few photos before grabbing their bags and walking 5 to 10 feet away from his original spot. He heard a scream and turned around, only to find his wife gone.

At around 6:20 a.m., authorities were alerted that Bernadette had “fallen” off the cliff. Since there were no witnesses or other evidence to go on, investigators ruled the young woman’s death an accident. 

The 14-year-old Mistress

A year prior to Bernadette’s death, the Pastor told his now identified teenage mistress, SH, that the two could only be together if his wife was dead. SH and David began their illegal relationship when she was only 14 years old, and met while he was serving as a youth pastor in Las Vegas at her church.

Their relationship became sexual when she turned 18, and he would often take her to motels or church for secret rendezvous. Bernadette was suspicious of his activity before she died, so David offered to pay for his teenage mistress’s apartment if she moved out of her parents’ house. He also provided her with a cell phone.

Two days before Bernadette was pushed off the cliff, SH told David she wished to be in a relationship with a young man at their church, and no longer wanted to be with him. After the untimely death, David and his mistress attended Bernadette’s memorial service together, seemingly back together.

A Pastor’s Affairs

David told his mistress that they could be together, but that he required the ability to see other women. Until 2008, David was having his cake and eating it too. SH and David married in secret that year, and she told investigators that it was because he needed health insurance since the pervert was fired from his youth pastor position for inappropriate behavior with the minors.

In 2010, the couple went public with their relationship and remarried. However, they quickly got divorced in 2014 after SH tested positive for a sexually transmitted disease due to David’s extramarital relationships.

Official Arrest

In 2022, authorities began looking into Bernadette’s passing when a former youth group member of David brought it to attention that he had been inappropriate with some of the girls. Washington County Sheriff’s Office investigators contacted SH, who claims she has not spoken to David since their divorce, and conducted an interview.

However, her words were not enough, and the case went cold. In October 2025, David’s former boss, Barry Diamond, contacted the Sheriff’s Office and said he believed David had pushed his wife off the cliff. Given this accusation and the information the former mistress provided, police secured an arrest warrant for David and took him into custody on June 22, 2026. 

David was facing life in prison for the murder of Bernadette, and potential financial penalties for insurance fraud. However, hours before his first court appearance on June 25, 2026, the coward was found lifeless in his cell with a suicide note and pronounced dead at the scene.