CORAL SPRINGS, FLA. (WSVN) - Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen has been found dead, officials said.
7Skyforce hovered over Metayer Bowen’s residence, which police had surrounded on Wednesday afternoon.
Coral Springs Police discovered her body while conducting a welfare check at her home located at the 800 block of NW 127th Avenue at around 10 a.m., Wednesday morning.
“We did locate the body of a deceased black female that we identified as Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen,” said Coral Springs Police Chief Brad Mock.
A preliminary investigation determined that the incident was “domestic in nature,” according to officials.
According to the report, authorities said her body was “wrapped in blankets and black garbage bags” after being “discovered in the bed of the second-floor master bedroom.”
The welfare check happened after her colleagues noticed her absence during scheduled meetings and grew increasingly concerned.
Metayer Bowen’s husband, Stephen Bowen, was taken into police custody shortly after in Plantation, charged with premeditated murder and tampering with or fabricating evidence.
According to investigators, Bowen was staying at a friend’s apartment, who later told detectives Bowen confessed, stating: “he shot her three times with a shotgun the previous night and then slept downstairs.”
When investigators asked why, “Bowen said he ‘couldn’t take it anymore,'” the report said.
“This report does find probable cause for the charges,” said Judge Corey B. Friedman.
The 40-year-old appeared in Broward court on Thursday, where Friedman denied him bond.
“There are no additional suspects at this time and there are no immediate threats to anyone in the public,” said Coral Springs Police Chief Brad Mock at a press conference.
Those who knew the vice mayor paid tribute to her legacy on Wednesday evening.
“My heart is extremely heavy. My soul is heavy. My heart is broken,” said Coral Springs Commissioner Joshua Simmons.
“There are no words that can truly capture the depth of this loss. She wasn’t just a leader — she was the light in every room that she entered,” said Coral Springs City Manager Catherine Givens. “She was a steady voice in difficult times, a compassionate soul who lifted others up and a friend to so many.”
Metayer Bowen’s murder comes just three months after her younger brother — a survivor of the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas school shooting — took his own life following a battle with his mental health.
“What’s worse is the tremendous grief that her family must endure,” said Givens.
The vice mayor’s family posted a message on Instagram about Metayer Bowen, writing in part,
“Her legacy will live on not only in the policies she helped shape, but in the countless lives she touched. We are grateful for the outpouring of support and kindness during this difficult time. As we mourn her loss, we also celebrate her remarkable life and the lasting impact she leaves behind.”
Metayer Bowen was appointed as vice mayor in 2025, after initially being elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024.
“She cared about students. She cared about seniors. She cared about the environment. She cared about fairness. She cared about equality. She cared about her culture. She cared about people being able to take full advantage of all the rights and everything that is present on this Earth,” said Simmons.
Community leaders are planning to hold a vigil outside of Coral Springs City Hall on Friday at 7 p.m.
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