Florida Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen Killed

Florida residents are grieving after learning that upcoming politico, Florida city Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen, was found dead in her home on April 1. Her husband has been arrested and charged with her murder, leaving the Coral Springs community where the couple lived, grieving and confused.

According to USA Today, Bowen’s body was discovered after police did a wellness check at her home around 10 a.m. Bowen’s husband, Stephen Bowen, 40, was arrested and charged with premeditated murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

Police have not said how Nancy Metayer Bowen died, but they did note that Bowen’s death comes just months after her brother committed suicide and some days before she was to announce a run for Congress.

“Throughout her years in public office, she led with integrity, compassion, and an unwavering sense of purpose,” her family said in a statement. Bowen, 38, was the first Black and Haitian-American to hold a seat on the city commission. 

 “She believed in bringing people together, listening to those she served, and working tirelessly to create positive change in her community. To us, she was a source of strength, wisdom, and love – someone who always put others before herself.”

Bowen graduated from Florida A&M University and was first elected vice mayor in 2020. She won reelection in 2024. 

“Nancy Metayer Bowen also had a master’s of health and science from Johns Hopkins University. She was an environmental scientist, a former member of the Broward County Soil and Water Conservation District, and was appointed to the Florida League of Cities’ 2025-26 Federal Action Strike Team,” USA Today reports. 

Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Florida, posted on social media that Bowen was planning a run for Congress. 

“Nancy was one of the nicest people I worked with,” Moskowitz wrote. “Always fighting for her community, always pushing to help. She had such a future. This is terrible.”

Moskowitz also mentioned the death of her brother Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, who died in December 2025 at the age of 26 after a long battle with mental health. He was a student at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the mass shooting in 2018.”

“Her leadership was grounded in compassion, strength, and an unwavering commitment to others,” a Facebook post said. “Her impact on Coral Springs is immeasurable, and her loss leaves a void in our hearts. We ask our community to keep her family, loved ones, and all who are grieving in your thoughts and prayers. In this difficult time, we stand together as one city. We will carry her light, even in this darkness.”

See social media’s reaction to the tragedy below.