Ex-Mayo Clinic doc allegedly identified as 'widower' on dating app before wife's poisoning death
ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA: A newly released warrant in the case of Dr Connor Bowman, the former Mayo Clinic doctor accused of fatally poisoning his wife, pharmacist Betty Bowman, details he may have referred to himself as a widower on the dating app Bumble even before his other half's demise.
The warrant reveals that after the pair's failed open marriage Bowman had been engaging with multiple women on the app around the time of his wife’s alleged murder.
Betty Bowman's disturbing symptoms baffle investigators
Bowman, a poison specialist, was arrested last October and charged with first- and second-degree murder in connection with his wife’s death.
Betty, who also worked as a pharmacist at the Mayo Clinic, exhibited symptoms resembling food poisoning before her condition rapidly deteriorated, leading to organ failure in Rochester, Minnesota, on August 20, 2023. Toxicology reports later confirmed the presence of colchicine, a drug used to treat gout, in her system.
Connor Bowman's dating activity under scrutiny before wife's demise
Records from Bowman's phone searches indicate that he allegedly looked up the gender-neutral/masculine version of the word “widow” just two days before Betty died. At least one of the “female witnesses” he matched with on the app informed authorities that his profile identified him as a widower, reported KAAL TV.
One woman, who matched with Bowman on September 5 after Betty's passing, claimed he told her that his wife had died from listeria poisoning earlier in the summer. Another woman alleged that she was “led to believe that Betty had died earlier while on comfort care due to an overdose of morphine, approximately a year prior.”
Investigators are now seeking Bumble's cooperation to retrieve Bowman’s conversations and ascertain the timeline of changes to his marital status on his profile.
Connor Bowman's efforts to halt investigation amidst marriage turmoil
In the aftermath of Betty's death, Bowman allegedly attempted to dissuade authorities from performing an autopsy and urged for her immediate cremation, attributing her demise to "natural" causes. However, suspicions arose as friends of Betty revealed that the couple’s marriage was strained by infidelity and other issues, despite their open relationship, the Post Bulletin previously reported.
Friends noted that Bowman had formed an emotional bond with another woman, prompting his wife to consider divorce. Currently detained at the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center on $2 million bail, Bowman, 31, is facing charges of second and first-degree murder for the death of 32-year-old Betty Bowman and is scheduled to appear in court on June 11.
