A memorial for Coral Springs vice mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen stands in front of City Hall’s iconic sun sculpture on April 6, 2026, days after mourners packed the adjacent lawn for a vigil in her honor.
Photo by Allison Beck for the Miami Herald
abeck@coralspringsflnews.com
Before a swarm of Coral Springs officers descended on the home of Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen last week, discovering her death, allegedly at the hands of her husband, authorities had been called five times to her home, a Miami Herald inquiry revealed.
Officers were called to the home six times from August 2023 to April 2026, the last time being when her body was found, according to Coral Springs police records.
Metayer and Stephen Bowen, her husband, owned the house in the 800 block of Northwest 127th Avenue since 2023, property records show. From 2025 onward, new owners were listed by Broward County Property Appraiser; however, Metayer and Bowen were still known to have resided in the home.
The five other times police were called to the home were for:
An investigation code on April 17, 2025Two animal bite codes on April 15, 2025, just a little over an hour between themA grand theft code on Aug. 6, 2024A disturbance code on Nov. 13, 2023
It was not immediately clear what caused authorities to be called during those incidents. The Herald is awaiting requested records.
Metayer, 38, made history as the city’s first Black and Haitian-American woman elected commissioner. She earned multiple honors for her work in politics and environmental science, including being named one of the Haitian American Chamber of Commerce’s Top 20 Under 40, receiving the United Nations Clean Water Advocacy Award, and being inducted into the CLEO Institute, the climate literacy and action group.
READ MORE: Remembering Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen
Two days after her death a large crowd of friends, family members and colleagues gathered on the grassy lawn outside Coral Springs City Hall to honor her life, Organized by her lifelong friends, the vigil was filled with meaningful tributes — from its setting at a place where she devoted so much of her time serving the community to the sea of orange worn by more than 200 attendees. Organizers noted that orange was Metayer’s favorite color and also represented her alma mater, Florida A&M University
READ MORE: ‘Ferocious in her fight for justice.’ Hundreds mourn, honor Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer
The search for Metayer began on April 1 when her colleagues noticed she had missed a commission meeting and a charter school board meeting.
A colleague of hers reached out to her husband, Bowen, and asked if he could let Metayer know people were trying to reach her, according to his arrest affidavit.
Police said Bowen feigned ignorance and said he didn’t know where she was and hadn’t been able to reach her, but he had already shot her to death.
READ MORE: Coral Springs vice mayor was shot three times with shotgun by husband, report says
Police first arrived at the Bowen home around 10:21 a.m. on April 1 but found no vehicles and couldn’t reach anyone inside. A neighbor had reported seeing Metayer walking her dog around midnight, and officers’ calls went unanswered.
About an hour later, Bowen’s parents arrived, saying they couldn’t get into the home and hadn’t spoken to their son since about 4 p.m. Tuesday, when he mentioned having a panic attack at work and planning to talk with his wife. His mother said she was unaware of any marital issues.
Around 12:30 p.m., officers returned and noticed damage on the second floor consistent with gunfire. Using license plate data, police later located Bowen at an apartment complex in Plantation, where he was seen handing a bag resembling a firearm case to another man. He was detained at the scene.
The man told police he believed they were meeting to discuss a Masonic matter and said Bowen remarked, “They’re here for me,” as officers approached. READ MORE: ‘Break down the door.’ 911 calls reveal relatives knew Coral Springs vice mayor was in danger
At 1:51 p.m., Bowen’s uncle called 911, saying Bowen had come to his home earlier, confessed to harming his wife, and said she was dead. Police then forced entry into the home, where they found Metayer dead in bed; she was pronounced dead at 2:24 p.m.
Later, the uncle told detectives Bowen had arrived around 10 a.m., asked him to hold a shotgun for him, and admitted he had shot his wife three times, saying he “couldn’t take it anymore.” Bowen stayed for about two hours before leaving alone in his truck, saying he planned to meet an attorney.
Bowen was charged with premeditated murder and tampering with physical evidence. He is being held in the Broward County Main Jail.
This story was originally published April 8, 2026 at 6:13 PM.
Miami Herald
Milena Malaver covers crime and breaking news for the Miami Herald. She was born and raised in Miami-Dade and is a graduate of Florida International University. She joined the Herald shortly after graduating.
 Cropped (2).jpg)
Miami Herald
Miami Herald Cops and Breaking News Reporter Devoun Cetoute covers a plethora of Florida topics, from breaking news to crime patterns. He was on the breaking news team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2022. He’s a graduate of the University of Florida, born and raised in Miami-Dade. Theme parks, movies and cars are on his mind in and out of the office.