The death of a South Florida vice mayor is being investigated as a domestic violence incident and her husband is in custody, police said.
Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen was found dead in her home Wednesday morning by police officers who were checking on her well-being, Chief Brad Mock said at a news conference. Her husband, Stephen Bowen, 40, was in police custody and there were no other suspects, Mock said.
Stephen Bowen is charged with premeditated murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and is being held at the Broward County Main Jail, according to online jail records. Online court records do not list an attorney available to speak on his behalf. No one immediately responded to messages left by The Associated Press in telephone directories for Stephen Bowen and his relatives. Someone hung up on one of these phone numbers.
Metayer Bowen, the city’s first black and Haitian-American female commissioner, was elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024 and appointed to a second term as vice mayor in November, according to her bio on the city’s website. She was an environmental scientist and led environmental conservation efforts throughout Florida with a focus on community resilience before serving as a commissioner.
Metayer Bowen also served as Vice Chairman of the Florida Democratic Party.
“She was a firm voice in difficult times”
In a statement, party president Nikki Fried recalled hugging Metayer Bowen at a leadership summit two weeks ago, “I never imagined it would be one of our last moments together.
“She loved her community deeply and believed with every fiber of her being that a better and more just future was possible for all of us,” Fried said. “Nancy was above all my friend and a friend to anyone who ever believed that democracy was worth fighting for. The world is less bright without her.”
Metayer Bowen has given much of herself to Coral Springs, which is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Fort Lauderdale, City Manager Catherine Givens said at a news conference Wednesday.
“She wasn’t just a leader. She was a light in every room she walked into. She was a steady voice in difficult times, a compassionate soul who lifted others up and a friend to so many,” Givens said. “Our hearts are truly broken.
