Nancy Metayer Bowen, the vice mayor of Coral Springs, Florida, was found dead at her home on Wednesday (April 1), and her husband has been charged with her murder in what police are investigating as a domestic violence incident.
Officers discovered Metayer Bowen’s body after responding to a welfare check at her home. Coral Springs Police Chief Brad Mock confirmed at a news conference that her husband, Stephen Bowen, 40, was taken into custody and that there were no additional suspects.
Stephen Bowen faces charges of premeditated murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence. He is being held at Broward County’s main jail. Online court records do not list an attorney representing him.
Metayer Bowen was a trailblazer in Coral Springs, a city located about 20 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale. She was the city’s first Black and Haitian American female commissioner, elected in 2020 and reelected in 2024. She was appointed to serve a second one-year term as vice mayor in November. As an environmental scientist, she had led environmental justice efforts across Florida, with a focus on community resilience.
Metayer Bowen also served as vice chair of the Florida Democratic Party. Party Chair Nikki Fried released a statement remembering her friend, noting she had hugged Metayer Bowen at a leadership summit just two weeks ago.
“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,” Fried said. “Above all, Nancy was my friend and a friend to everyone who has ever believed that democracy was worth fighting for. The world is less bright without her in it.”
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