Bernadette Vandermeer, age 29, of Las Vegas, Nevada, fell to her death while hiking within Zion National Park on Tuesday, August 22, 2006. The fall was from Angels Landing, one of the most popular hiking destinations in the park.
A 911 call was placed by her husband via cell phone. At approximately 6:30 a.m., the Zion National Park dispatch office was notified of the call. A search and rescue operation was mobilized and a helicopter was called in to assist. At approximately 8:25 a.m., the helicopter located her body on a talus slope, approximately 1,200 feet below the summit of Angels Landing. A ground search and rescue team recovered her body.
The fatality is under investigation by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office in cooperation with the National Park Service.
