A Florida vice mayor seen as a rising political star was found dead at her home Wednesday and her husband was arrested on suspicion of premeditated murder, authorities said.
Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen's body was found by police who were conducting a wellness check, the city said in a statement. The Coral Springs Police Department, in Broward County, has opened an investigation.
Metayer Bowen's husband, Stephen Bowen, was arrested following a preliminary investigation, the city said, adding that “it was determined the incident was domestic in nature” and that there were no additional suspects at this time.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office website listed Bowen, 40, as in custody and booked on charges of premeditated murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Bowen is accused of fatally shooting Metayer Bowen and was arrested after concerned officials raised alarm that Metayer Bowen missed scheduled meetings Wednesday and was not responding to messages, according to an arrest affidavit police released Thursday.
Before she became vice mayor, Metayer Bowen was the first Black and Haitian American female member of the Coral Springs City Commission. She was first elected in 2020 and then re-elected in 2024, according to the city website. Last year, her fellow commissioners appointed her to serve a second term as vice mayor, according to the city website.
Metayer Bowen was also an environmental scientist, and, before she joined the City Commission, she “led environmental justice efforts across the state of Florida, focusing on enhancing community resilience,” according to the city website.
The city said that during her time as a member of the Broward County Soil and Water Conservation District, her work was “instrumental in addressing water crises and responding to major natural disasters, including Hurricanes Irma, Michael, and Dorian.”
Metayer Bowen’s family said in a statement that she was “a cherished member of our family, but also a dedicated public servant who committed her life to improving the lives of others.”
“Throughout her years in public office, she led with integrity, compassion, and an unwavering sense of purpose. She believed in bringing people together, listening to those she served, and working tirelessly to create positive change in her community,” the Metayer family wrote. “To us, she was a source of strength, wisdom, and love—someone who always put others before herself.”
“Her legacy will live on not only in the policies she helped shape, but in the countless lives she touched,” the family said.
A family member called police about Bowen
Officials first grew concerned about Metayer Bowen after she was missing from meetings Wednesday morning.
An official, whose name is redacted, got a text from Metayer Bowen at 8 a.m. Wednesday titled “Discussion Items” and then never heard from her afterward.
That person tried to get through to Metayer Bowen through her husband, who responded that she was "not picking up" and later added: "Where is she? Her car is not at home," the affidavit said.
When police arrived at the couple’s home, they did not see any cars in the driveway and were not able to communicate with anyone in the home, according to the affidavit. Police tried to contact Bowen several times but received no response, the affidavit said.
A detective searched the outside of the property and found “outward, explosive-like damage” on the second floor that appeared “consistent with force originating within the structure,” the affidavit said.
At around 1:39 p.m., police spotted Bowen’s car in a parking lot with an occupant who “matched Stephen Bowen’s description,” the affidavit said. The man was seen handing off a bag to another man that “appeared consistent with a firearm carrying case,” the document said.
Minutes later, a person whose name was redacted in the affidavit called police and said their nephew, Bowen, had come to their house that morning and said that “he did something to” Metayer Bowen and that she “was not alive,” the document said.
Police sent a SWAT team into the home and found Metayer Bowen’s body in her second-floor bedroom, the affidavit said. Bowen was taken into custody around 2:35 p.m.
While they were executing a search warrant, police found three spent shotgun shells wrapped in the blankets with Metayer Bowen’s body, the affidavit said.
A preliminary examination showed an apparent shotgun wound to Metayer Bowen’s left shoulder, it said.
According to the affidavit, police also spoke to a person, whose name was redacted, who said Bowen told him he shot Metayer Bowen “three times with a shotgun the previous night and then slept downstairs.”
Asked why, Bowen said he “couldn’t take it anymore,” the affidavit alleged.
'She had such a future'
Lawmakers around the state expressed condolences and shock at the death of the “beloved” vice mayor while praising her leadership.
Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement Wednesday that “it is with a broken heart and profound grief that the Florida Democratic Party mourns the sudden and horrific death of our beloved Vice Chair, Nancy Metayer Bowen.”
“Just days ago, I spoke with Nancy. Just two weeks ago, I held her in a hug at our Party’s Leadership Summit, never imagining it would be one of our last moments together,” she said.
“Nancy was not simply our Vice Chair of Haitian Outreach. She was a scientist. An environmentalist. A brilliant barrier-breaker who made history as the first Black and Haitian-American woman elected to the Coral Springs City Commission,” Fried said. “A Vice Mayor who showed up every single day for the people she served. She loved her community deeply and believed, with every fiber of her being, that a better and more equitable future was possible for all of us.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis said on social media that he and his wife were “shocked and saddened by this terrible news. We send our condolences to Nancy’s friends and family.”
U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., said on social media that he was “in shock.”
“I was just with her on Saturday. She just buried her brother. She was about to announce she was running for Congress,” he wrote. “Nancy was one of the nicest people I worked with. Always fighting for her community, always pushing to help. She had such a future. This is terrible.”
North Miami Mayor Alix Desulme described Metayer Bowen as a “pillar of her community, a dedicated advocate for her neighbors, and a tireless voice for those who too often go unheard.”
“I can tell you firsthand what those who worked with her already know: she brought energy and moral clarity to every room she entered,” he said on social media. “This is a moment of deep pain and disbelief for all of us who had the privilege of working alongside such a dedicated and passionate leader.”
South Miami Mayor Javier Fernández said Metayer Bowen “was a light in a world” that often seems overwhelmingly dark.
“A true believer and individual dedicated to service at her core. Her loss is profound,” he said on social media. “May she rest in peace.”
Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen said in a statement that Metayer Bowen “served her community with dedication and heart, and the impact of her dedicated public service will be felt across Broward County.”
“Our thoughts are with her family, colleagues, and the Coral Springs community during this difficult time,” he said.
