Florida Dem Nancy Bowen found dead at home, husband arrested in 'domestic violence incident'

CORAL SPRINGS, FLORIDA: A rising Florida Democrat was found dead inside her home on April 1, 2026.

Nancy Metayer Bowen, the 38-year-old vice mayor of Coral Springs, died sometime earlier in the day, authorities confirmed. By the afternoon, her husband, 40-year-old Stephen Bowen, had been arrested as police investigated what they described as a "domestic violence incident,” according to officials speaking at a press conference.

Investigators have yet to specify exactly how Metayer Bowen died. Police have kept details tightly under wraps. 

Nancy Metayer Bowen's promising career cut short

Metayer Bowen wasn’t just another local official. She appeared to have a promising career in politics.

A first-generation Haitian-American, she built her résumé early. After graduating from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, she secured internships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, former Sen Bill Nelson, and Barack Obama’s administration, according to her LinkedIn profile.

She briefly stepped away from politics to focus on charity work in Haiti before returning to Florida, where she landed her first government role in Broward County as a program manager for the Junior Sustainability Stewards Program.

From there, she moved through several nonprofit organizations and even launched one of her own, while juggling her government responsibilities.

By late 2024, she had been tapped as Coral Springs’ vice mayor. At the time, she pledged to continue “building a brighter, more inclusive future for us all.”

That same year, she joined former President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign. When Biden exited the race, she took on a role with Kamala Harris’ campaign as Florida Caribbean vote director.

In March 2025, she was appointed Vice Chair of Haitian American Voter Engagement for the Florida Democratic Party. 

Tributes pour in as investigation continues

Those closest to Metayer Bowen remembered her as a public servant driven by purpose.

“Throughout her years in public office, she led with integrity, compassion, and an unwavering sense of purpose. 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,” her family said in a statement.

Florida Rep Jared Moskowitz revealed just how close she was to taking her next big leap, a run for Congress.

“I’m in shock. I was just with her on Saturday. She just buried her brother. She was about to announce she was running for Congress. Nancy was one of the nicest people I worked with. Always fighting for her community, always pushing to help. She had such a future. This is terrible,” he wrote on X.

Florida Rep Byron Donalds shared, "Heartbroken to learn of the tragic loss of Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen. Praying for her family, loved ones, and the Coral Springs community during this devastating time. May justice be swift, and may her memory be a blessing."

Moskowitz was referring to her youngest sibling, Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, 26, who died in December after taking his own life following a long struggle with schizophrenia. He had also survived the Parkland high school shooting.

That said, Metayer Bowen’s death remains an open case as investigators continue to piece together what happened inside the Coral Springs home.