Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer, 38, was discovered dead at her home in Broward County on Wednesday following an alleged shooting by her husband, Stephen Bowen, 40. Police found her body wrapped in blankets and black garbage bags in the bed of her second-floor master bedroom.
According to reports, Metayer did not appear for a City Hall meeting scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. When contacted by a relative, Bowen stated he did not know where she was and claimed “her car is not at home.” A pillow with burn marks was also recovered at the scene and police suspect it was used as a makeshift silencer.
Owen Small, Bowen’s uncle, told authorities that his nephew admitted to shooting Metayer three times with a shotgun the previous evening and then rolling her body in a “comforter with a garbage bag around her feet.” Bowen reportedly told Small he “couldn’t take it anymore.”
Bowen was arrested later that day on charges of first-degree premeditated murder and tampering with evidence. City Manager Catherine Givens stated, “There are no words that can truly capture the depth of this loss.” Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried added, “It is with a broken heart and profound grief that the Florida Democratic Party mourns the sudden and horrific death of our beloved Vice Chair, Nancy Metayer Bowen.”
Metayer was first elected to the Coral Springs City Commission in 2020 and re-elected in 2024. She was appointed vice mayor in November. The incident has left her community devastated as she was expected to announce a congressional bid soon, according to Democratic Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz.
