South Florida vice mayor's death investigated as domestic violence, husband faces murder charge

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CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (AP) — 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 at her home Wednesday morning by officers 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 additional suspects, Mock said.

Stephen Bowen is charged with premediated murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and is being held at Broward County’s main jail, according to online jail records. Online court records do not list an attorney who could comment on his behalf. No one responded immediately to messages left by The Associated Press at phone listings for Stephen Bowen and his relatives. A person hung up at one of those phone numbers.

Metayer Bowen, the city's first Black and Haitian American female commissioner, was elected in 2020 and reelected in 2024 and appointed to serve a second, one-year term as vice mayor in November, according to her biography on the city’s website. She was an environmental scientist and before serving as a commissioner she led environmental justice efforts across Florida with a focus on community resilience.

Metayer Bowen also served as the vice chair of the Florida Democratic Party. In a statement, Party Chair Nikki Fried remembered hugging Metayer Bowen at a leadership summit two weeks ago, “never imagining 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 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.”

Metayer Bowen gave much of herself to Coral Springs, which is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Fort Lauderdale, City Manager Catherine Givens said at Wednesday's news conference.

“She wasn’t just a leader. She was the light in every room that she entered. 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.”