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The husband of the vice chair of the Florida Democratic Party is accused of premeditated murder and tampering with evidence after his wife was found dead, according to jail records.
Investigators confirmed that vice chair of the Florida Democratic Party and Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen’s body was found around 10 a.m. during a welfare check.
Few details have been released surrounding her death, including the cause.
On Thursday morning, Stephen Bowen appeared before a judge in a bond court hearing where he was ordered held without bond.
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“I have reviewed the probable cause affidavit. The court does find probable cause for the charges,” the judge said.
Bowen was first elected to the Coral Springs City Commission in 2020 and was re-elected in 2024. She was appointed by the commission last November to serve a second, one-year term as vice mayor, according to her bio on the city’s website.
Before being elected to the commission, Bowen worked as an environmental scientist who formerly served on the Broward County Soil and Water Conservation District, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
Bowen’s family confirmed her death on her social media accounts.
“Throughout her years in public office, she led with integrity, compassion, and an unwavering sense of purpose,” the family’s statement said.
“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.
“While many knew her as a leader and advocate, we knew her as a sister, a daughter, and a friend whose warmth and laughter filled every room. Her legacy will live on not only in the policies she helped shape, but in the countless lives she touched.”
The Coral Springs government Facebook page paid tribute to Bowen, calling her “leadership grounded in compassion, strength, and an unwavering commitment to others.”
“Her impact on Coral Springs is immeasurable, and her loss leaves a void in our hearts. We ask our community to keep her family, loved ones, and all who are grieving in your thoughts and prayers. In this difficult time, we stand together as one city. We will carry her light, even in this darkness.”
U.S. Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, D-Fla., said he was saddened to hear of Bowen’s death, remembering her as a “tireless advocate, a dedicated progressive leader, and a powerful voice for her community.”
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Rep. Jared Moskowitz posted on X: “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,” he said. “Always fighting for her community, always pushing to help. She had such a future. This is terrible.”
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Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said she spoke with Bowen a few days ago.
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“I held her in a hug at our party’s leadership summit, never imagining it would be one of our last moments together,” Fried said in a statement.
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“Nancy was my friend and a friend to everyone who has ever believed that democracy was worth fighting for. The world is less bright without her in it.”
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Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.
