The Coral Springs official was found shot dead in her home on April 1, just three months after losing her brother, a Parkland school shooting survivor, to suicide.
Nancy Metayer Bowen, the vice mayor of Coral Springs, Florida, was found fatally shot in her home on Wednesday, April 1. Her husband, Stephen Bowen, was arrested later that same day and charged with premeditated murder and tampering with physical evidence, according to online court records and a complaint affidavit obtained by investigators.
The killing came just three months after Nancy lost her younger brother, Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, a survivor of the 2018 Parkland school shooting who died by suicide on Dec. 15 at age 26.
What police say happened the night of March 31
According to the complaint affidavit, Stephen Bowen allegedly told a witness that he shot Nancy three times the night before her body was discovered and then went downstairs to sleep. He reportedly told that same witness he could not take it anymore, though no further context was provided in the affidavit regarding what he meant by that statement.
On the morning of April 1, Stephen allegedly told his uncle that he had done something to Nancy and that she was dead. The uncle contacted police, who responded to the residence and found Nancy’s body in the master bedroom.
A motive has not been formally established. Nancy’s family told investigators they were unaware of any marital problems between the couple. Her public social media presence offered no visible signs of trouble either. As recently as November, she posted an anniversary message describing three years of building, dreaming, and loving together. A September 2024 post described her husband as an anchor in her life.
It is not yet clear whether Stephen has denied the accusations. Online court records do not reflect attorney information or an arraignment date as of the time of this report.
Bowen and the grief that preceded her death
Nancy’s death arrived at the end of what had already been a devastating stretch for her family. Her brother Donovan, described by his family as the baby of the Metayer family, survived the February 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, which killed 17 students and staff members. His family has said the shooting profoundly altered the course of his life, contributing to depression and ongoing mental health struggles in the years that followed.
Donovan died by suicide on Dec. 15. He was 26.
Nancy was public about her grief. One of her final Facebook posts before her death shared a GoFundMe set up in her brother’s memory. The day after Donovan’s passing, she posted a photograph of the two of them together and wrote about how he was the sibling who got under her skin the most and the one she felt the most need to protect.
The Metayer Bowen family and what comes next
The Coral Springs Police Department confirmed Nancy’s death and Stephen’s arrest in a formal statement. The charges against him, premeditated murder and evidence tampering, are among the most serious under Florida law. The case has drawn attention both because of Nancy’s public role in local government and because of the compounded grief her family has experienced in such a short period.
Nancy Metayer Bowen served her community in elected office. Her brother survived one of the most covered school shootings in American history and carried that weight for years before he died. The family has now lost both of them within months of each other, and the circumstances surrounding each loss could not be more different.
No court date has been scheduled publicly for Stephen Bowen as of April 3.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-799-7233 or thehotline.org.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by calling or texting 988.
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