The Coral Springs vice mayor and Florida Democratic Party vice chair was killed in an apparent domestic violence incident on April 1, three months after losing her younger brother.
A community in mourning
Nancy Metayer Bowen, the 38-year-old vice mayor of Coral Springs, Florida, was found dead in her home on Wednesday morning in what police are investigating as a domestic violence incident. She was shot, according to reports. Her husband, 40-year-old Stephen Bowen, fled to Plantation, Florida, where he was taken into police custody at an apartment complex. He remains in custody.
Police were called to the home shortly after 10 a.m. to check on Metayer Bowen’s well-being and found her dead inside. Coral Springs Police Chief Brad Mock confirmed the details at an evening briefing. The investigation is ongoing and no formal charges had been publicly announced at the time of publication.
The city of Coral Springs released a statement describing Metayer Bowen as more than a public servant. She was, the city said, a light in the community whose leadership was grounded in compassion, strength and an unwavering commitment to others. Her impact on Coral Springs, the statement read, is immeasurable.
A trailblazer in public life
Metayer Bowen was a first-generation Haitian American who became the first Black woman elected to the Coral Springs City Commission when she won her seat in 2020. She was re-elected in 2024 and subsequently appointed vice mayor by her fellow commissioners.
Before entering elected office, she earned a graduate degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and held internships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, former U.S. Senator Bill Nelson and the Obama administration. She went on to work for Broward County government, founding a nonprofit of her own while rising through the ranks of several others.
An environmental scientist by training, she had also served on the Broward County Soil and Water Conservation District, where she helped coordinate responses to Hurricanes Irma, Michael and Dorian.
In 2024, she served as Florida’s Caribbean Vote Director for the Kamala Harris presidential campaign. In March 2025, she was named vice chair of Haitian American Voter Engagement for the Florida Democratic Party.
Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz confirmed on social media that Metayer Bowen had been weeks away from formally announcing a run for Congress. He described her as one of the nicest people he had worked with, always fighting for her community, always pushing to help. He said the loss was terrible and that she had such a future ahead of her.
A family already carrying grief
Metayer Bowen’s death comes three months after the death of her younger brother, Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer. He was 26 years old and died by suicide on December 15, 2025, following a years-long battle with schizophrenia.
Donovan had been a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018 when a mass shooter killed 17 people. He survived the attack but carried the weight of that experience for years. His family described his loss as a sorrow beyond words.
City Commissioner Joshua Simmons called Metayer Bowen a colleague and a battle buddy, saying she had such a good heart and truly cared about people. City Manager Catherine Givens said there are no words that can truly capture the depth of the loss.
Her family released a statement saying she led with integrity, compassion and an unwavering sense of purpose, always putting others before herself. They described her as a source of strength, wisdom and love.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org. The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in more than 170 languages.