South Florida Vice Mayor's Death Investigated As Domestic Violence, Husband Faces Murder Charge

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. — The decease of a South Florida vice politician is being investigated arsenic a home unit incident and her hubby is successful custody, constabulary said.

Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen was recovered dormant astatine her location Wednesday greeting by officers checking connected her well-being, Police Chief Brad Mock said astatine a news conference. Her husband, Stephen Bowen, 40, was successful constabulary custody and location were nary further suspects, Mock said.

Stephen Bowen is charged pinch premeditated execution and tampering pinch aliases fabricating beingness grounds and is being held astatine Broward County’s main jail, according to online jailhouse records. Online tribunal records do not database an lawyer who could remark connected his behalf. No 1 responded instantly to messages near by nan Associated Press astatine telephone listings for Stephen Bowen and his relatives. A personification hung up astatine 1 of those telephone numbers.

Metayer Bowen, nan city’s first Black and Haitian American female commissioner, was elected successful 2020 and reelected successful 2024 and appointed to service a second, one-year word arsenic vice politician successful November, according to her curriculum vitae connected nan city’s website. She was an biology intelligence and earlier serving arsenic a commissioner she led biology justness efforts crossed Florida pinch a attraction connected organization resilience.

Metayer Bowen besides served arsenic nan vice chair of nan Florida Democratic Party. In a statement, Party Chair Nikki Fried remembered hugging Metayer Bowen astatine a activity acme 2 weeks ago, “never imagining it would beryllium 1 of our past moments together.”

“She loved her organization profoundly and believed, pinch each fibre of her being, that a amended and much equitable early was imaginable for each of us,” Fried said. “Above all, Nancy was my friend and a friend to everyone who has ever believed that populist was worthy fighting for. The world is little agleam without her successful it.”

Metayer Bowen gave overmuch of herself to Coral Springs, which is astir 20 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale, City Manager Catherine Givens said astatine Wednesday’s news conference.

“She wasn’t conscionable a leader. She was nan ray successful each room that she entered. She was a dependable sound successful difficult times, a compassionate psyche who lifted others up and a friend to truthful many,” Givens said. “Our hearts are genuinely broken.”