Authorities have charged the husband of Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer-Bowen with her murder after they found her fatally shot inside their home.
Stephen Bowen, 40, faces charges of premeditated murder and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, according to jail records. He is being held on a $50,000 bond at the Broward County’s Main Jail. Court records do not list an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
“The South Florida community, Florida [overall] took a huge hit,” said Santra Denis, executive director of the Miami Workers Center and close collaborator of Metayer-Bowen.
“Nancy was remarkable in that she was a community organizer and a legislator that held equity at the center,” Denis continued. “She really believed in people. She really had integrity, was honest, and people trusted her. I trusted her leadership and I think a lot of people felt in good hands with Nancy. ”
Stephen Bowen’s Instagram bio as publicly visible in March 2026 which reads “God | Husband | Armed”. 
Nancy Metayer-Bowen with her husband Stephen Bowen. Photo courtesy of Nancy Metayer-Bowen’s Facebook page. 
Stephen Bowen pictured at a shooting range. Courtesy of Stephe Bowen’s Instagram page. 
Nancy Metayer-Bowen and Stephen Bowen in the summer of 2025. Photo courtesy of Nancy Metayer-Bowen’s Instagram page. 
Screengrab from a video featuring Stephen Bowen at a shooting range. Courtesy of Stephe Bowen’s Instagram page.
Wednesday through Thursday, tributes began pouring in for Metayer-Bowen, whose political prominence led to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign tapping her to lead voter mobilization efforts. Most recently, whispers of her running for Congress had also begun to make the rounds, though nothing was confirmed.
“He really robbed us,” said Gepsie Metellus, the now-former executive director of Sant La, whose leadership development program had selected Metayer-Bowen as a participant. “She was working hard, doing good work – and we never imagined that she was living in this personal hell.”
‘Wellness check’ leads to gruesome discovery
For an elected official, Metayer-Bowen kept a relatively low-key profile that gave no indication of alarming issues in her home life. Even as her younger brother, Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, a survivor of the Parkland high school mass shooting, struggled with mental health issues, then died by suicide in December, she continued to serve diligently.
Given her focus on others, the current spotlight on what transpired inside her house has rocked those surrounding her that much harshly.
According to the police affidavit, colleagues of Metayer-Bowen in Coral Springs, a city in northwest Broward County, had asked them to go to her home when she failed to attend a scheduled meeting to discuss city business. When they arrived at around 10 a.m. Wednesday for the wellness check,
Inside the house in the 800 block of Northwest 127th Avenue, officers found the 38-year-old town official dead. She had been fatally shot. Bowen was not there.
Later, they found Bowen and arrested him in Plantation – a town about 12 miles south in Broward. Bowen had gone to that town to ask someone to hide the weapon he used.
Once Mock announced that no other suspects were in custody and that the community was not facing any threats after the discovery, questions arose about Bowen. On social media, several accounts belonging to the couple showed them out and about at events and outings. Both had posted images from their wedding recently, as they celebrated the three-year-mark of their marriage.
A recent post by Metayer-Bowen read, “Three years of building, dreaming, and loving each other through everything.”
Environmentalist and community organizer turned politician
Prior to her marriage, Metayer-Bowen had built a reputation for herself as an environmental scientist and community organizer who rose quickly through the ranks of South Florida politics. She was among four Sant La Fellows who went on to seek office after completing the community leadership development program. She was first elected to the Coral Springs Commission in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, later being appointed vice mayor in 2025.
Metayer-Bowen also played a role in national politics, advising Democratic campaigns on Caribbean voter outreach, including during Harris’s bid for the presidency, and serving as vice chair of Haitian American voter engagement for the Florida Democratic Party.
Recently, as Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick came under investigation for ethics violations and alleged criminal activities, Metayer-Bowen’s name was floated as a possible replacement for the congressional seat.
All the while, she lent her expertise to other groups, such as being a board member to Avanse Ansanm, the voter education and mobilization organization, and member of NHAEON, the association of Haitian elected officials.
“Nancy was the prototype,” Metellus said. “She was everything we would want for all of our children in this community, particularly those children that are called to play a civic or elected leadership role.
“To have her robbed from us like this is just unspeakable,” she said.
Community tributes pour in for public servant
In the hours after she was found dead, shockwaves went through the Haitian diaspora and broader community political circles.
In a statement, the City of Coral Springs honored Metayer-Bowen’s legacy and service to the community.
“Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer served the residents of Coral Springs with passion, integrity and a strong commitment to building a better future for all,” the statement said. “Her leadership reflected a deep belief in community, service and stewardship, and her contributions will continue to leave a lasting mark on our city.”
On her social media pages, community members had begun posting tributes and prayers to Metayer-Bowen.
On Metayer-Bowen’s Facebook page, a family statement shared gratitude for the outpouring of condolences and privacy to grieve.
“She was not only a cherished member of our family but also a dedicated public servant who committed her life to improving the lives of others,” the family said.
“Throughout her years in public office, she led with integrity, compassion, and an unwavering sense of purpose,” the statement continues. “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.”
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