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The vice mayor of Coral Springs, Nancy Metayer Bowen, was found dead this Wednesday in her home on block 800 of Northwest 127th Avenue, following a welfare check requested by municipal colleagues who noticed her absence from scheduled meetings.
The chief of the Coral Springs Police, Brad Mock, confirmed the discovery of the body around 10 in the morning and stated that the case is being investigated as a domestic violence incident.
Her husband, Stephen Bowen, 40 years old, was arrested that same day and faces charges of first-degree premeditated murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
The last text message sent from the victim's phone was to a local official regarding "discussion points" at 8 AM on Wednesday, hours before her colleagues alerted the police about her absence in scheduled meetings.
According to the arrest report, Bowen allegedly shot his wife three times with a shotgun on Tuesday night, slept on the ground floor of the house, and then wrapped the body in blankets and black garbage bags, leaving it on the bed in the master bedroom on the second floor.
The police found three spent shotgun shells wrapped in blankets next to the body, and a pillow with burn marks and string, apparently fashioned as an improvised silencer.
The exterior of the house showed damage "similar to that of an explosion" on the second floor, consistent with projectiles.
Bowen confessed to the crime to his uncle around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, telling him that he could no longer take it, and asked him to keep the shotgun for a couple of weeks.
The uncle called 911 at 1:15 PM and alerted the authorities: his nephew "told him he had done something to her... and that she was not alive."
Meanwhile, the authorities tracked Bowen's truck and located him in a parking lot in Plantation, where he attempted to hand over the weapon in a bag to another man. Upon seeing the police arrive, Bowen said, "Oh m---, they're coming for me." The shotgun was recovered on the scene.
This Thursday, a judge from Broward County denied bail after concluding that there is probable cause for the charges.
Nancy Metayer Bowen was a historical figure in Coral Springs: the first Black woman and Haitian-American elected as city commissioner in November 2020. She was re-elected in 2024 and appointed vice mayor in November 2025 for a one-year term.
The mayor Mark Bogen stated that Bowen "served his community with dedication and heart, and the impact of his public service will be felt throughout Broward County."
The commissioner Joshua Simmons was more direct: "He had such a good heart, he really cared about people. My soul is heavy, my heart is broken."
The victim's family issued a statement highlighting that "while many knew her as a leader and advocate, we knew her as a sister, a daughter, and a friend whose warmth and laughter filled every room."
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