CORAL SPRINGS, FL — Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen was found dead Wednesday morning in her home during a police welfare check, with her husband Stephen Bowen taken into custody as a suspect in what authorities are investigating as a domestic violence incident.
The discovery marks a devastating loss for the South Florida city, where the 38-year-old environmental scientist had served as the first Black and Haitian American woman elected to the city commission. Police Chief Brad Mock confirmed during a Wednesday evening press conference that officers found Metayer Bowen’s body around 10 a.m. at her residence in the 800 block of Northwest 127th Avenue after being called to check on her well-being. Mock said the case is being investigated as domestic violence but did not specify the cause of death.
The chain of events began when a friend of Metayer Bowen called to speak with her Wednesday but couldn’t reach her, according to sources cited by Florida Politics. The friend then contacted Stephen Bowen, who “sounded suspicious,” prompting the friend to call police. Officers responded to the home for the wellness check, where they discovered the vice mayor deceased. After finding Metayer Bowen’s body, police issued a call for Stephen Bowen, who had initially fled the scene. “There are no additional suspects at this time and there are no immediate threats to anyone in the public,” Mock told reporters at the press conference.
Stephen Bowen, 40, was apprehended later Wednesday at the Landmark Towers apartment complex in Plantation, where law enforcement swarmed the area. Cell phone video captured the dramatic arrest, with witnesses describing a heavy police presence including SWAT vehicles and officers with guns drawn. “We just heard a big bang and I said ‘oh my god is that gunshots?’,” one witness told Local 10 News. “We looked out the window and we see swat cars, cops cars, just everything everywhere — guns drawn.” Sources told Florida Politics that Plantation license plate readers detected Bowen’s vehicle along SR 7/U.S. 441 before the Broward County Sheriff’s Office apprehended him at a friend’s home.
Metayer Bowen had established herself as a rising star in Florida Democratic politics and environmental advocacy since winning her city commission seat in 2020. The first-generation American held degrees from Florida A&M University and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she earned a master’s degree in environmental health sciences. Before her election, she worked as a program manager with Broward County’s Junior Sustainability Stewards Program and served on the Broward Soil and Water Conservation District from 2017 to 2019. During her tenure as vice mayor, she led efforts on environmental sustainability, affordable housing, and youth programming while serving on multiple boards including the Broward County Climate Change Task Force and Florida League of Cities’ Legislative Committee.
The tragic death comes amid recent family trauma for the Metayer family. In December, Metayer Bowen’s 26-year-old brother Joshua died by suicide after battling schizophrenia for years. Joshua was a survivor of the February 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Sources told Florida Politics that Metayer Bowen was preparing to announce a congressional campaign this year. In 2024, she served as Florida Caribbean Vote Director for both President Joe Biden’s and Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaigns, and the Florida Democratic Party named her Vice Chair of Haitian American Voter Engagement in March of that year.
Political leaders across Florida expressed shock and grief over Metayer Bowen’s death. Representative Jared Moskowitz wrote on social media that he was “just with her on Saturday” and that “she just buried her brother.” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, who said she had spoken with Metayer Bowen “just days ago,” described her as “a brilliant barrier-breaker who made history” and “a Vice Mayor who showed up every single day for the people she served.” Miami Gardens Democratic Senator Shevrin Jones called her “a true champion,” while House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell described the news as “beyond horrific” and called for justice to be “pursued swiftly and fully on her behalf.”
City officials struggled to process the loss during Wednesday’s emotional press conference. “To say today is a very dark day for us in Coral Springs is an understatement,” City Manager Catherine Givens said. “There are no words that can truly capture the depth of this loss or the pain this organization and community are now dealing with as a result of this senseless tragedy.” Commissioner Joshua Simmons, who called Metayer Bowen his “battle buddy,” said the city government now feels “incomplete.” “She had such a good heart, she truly cared about people,” Simmons said. “My soul is heavy, my heart is broken.” The city manager announced that officials are taking steps to help employees grieve the loss.
The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities not yet releasing details about potential charges against Stephen Bowen or the specific circumstances of the vice mayor’s death. Metayer Bowen had celebrated her second wedding anniversary with Stephen Bowen in a November 22, 2024, Instagram post, writing “Two years with the amazing Stephen Bowen. Cheers to love, growth, and building a beautiful life together.” Her family released a statement on Instagram describing her as “not only a cherished member of our family, but also a dedicated public servant who committed her life to improving the lives of others.”
