A Florida vice mayor was found slain inside her home during a welfare check, and police quickly took her husband into custody in what investigators described as a domestic killing.
Nancy Metayer Bowen, the vice mayor of Coral Springs, was discovered dead around 10 a.m. Wednesday after officers were sent to her home when a concerned friend could not reach her.
The friend had initially made contact but became alarmed after the conversation took a turn that raised concern, prompting a call to police to check on her well-being.
Officers arrived at the residence and made the discovery inside the home.“Upon arrival, officers discovered a deceased Black female victim within the residence and positively identified her as Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen,” the department stated.
Investigators quickly determined the case centered on violence inside the home, with her husband identified as the primary suspect.
“Through the preliminary investigation, it was determined the incident was domestic in nature and the husband, Stephen Bowen … is in police custody,” officials added. “At this time there are no additional suspects being sought or threat to the community.”
Authorities have not confirmed the exact cause of death, though reports indicated there may have been multiple gunshots at the residence. That detail has not been officially verified.
Stephen Bowen was located shortly after the killing when license plate readers flagged his vehicle along State Road 7/U.S. 441.
Law enforcement tracked him to the Landmark Towers apartment complex, where Broward Sheriff’s deputies moved in and arrested him.
He now faces first-degree murder charges along with an additional count tied to tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
Booking records show the 40-year-old is being held in Broward County’s Main Jail without bond on the murder charge.
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Police Chief Brad Mock addressed the case during a press conference, describing it as domestic violence and noting that there is no ongoing threat to the public. The killing came just months after the couple marked their third wedding anniversary.
Bowen had built a growing political profile in South Florida. She was first elected in 2020 and re-elected in 2024, becoming the first Black and Haitian American woman to serve on the city’s commission.
Her work extended beyond local government. She served as Vice Chair of Haitian Outreach for the Florida Democratic Party and previously worked in the offices of former Sen. Bill Nelson and former President Barack Obama.
During the most recent election cycle, she took on a national role, serving as Florida Caribbean Vote Director for both Joe Biden and later Kamala Harris’s campaigns.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz reacted publicly, describing the news as deeply personal.
“I’m in shock,” he wrote. “I was just with her on Saturday. She just buried her brother. She was about to announce she was running for Congress.”
He followed with a second message reflecting on her character. “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 added.
Her death is the latest in a series of personal tragedies for her family. Just months earlier, her 26-year-old brother died by suicide after a long struggle with schizophrenia. He had survived the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Family members described Bowen as both a public servant and a deeply personal source of strength.
“Throughout her years in public office, she led with integrity, compassion, and an unwavering sense of purpose,” the family wrote.
“She believed in bringing people together, listening to those she served, and working tirelessly to create positive change in her community.”
They continued, shifting from her public role to who she was at home. “To us, she was a source of strength, wisdom, and love—someone who always put others before herself.”
“We knew her as a sister, a daughter and a friend whose warmth and laughter filled every room,” the statement continued.
“Her legacy will live on not only in the policies she helped shape, but in the countless lives she touched.”
Local officials also reflected on her impact. “Nancy was our battle buddy. She had a good heart,” Coral Springs Commissioner Joshua Simmons said.
“She truly cared about people even when people were saying some of the most horrible things about her and us. She still cared, rolled up her sleeves, went to every event that she could go to.”
In another shocking domestic violence case that ended in tragedy, an Illinois man is accused of strangling his estranged wife with a vacuum cleaner cord during an argument inside a home the couple had returned to ahead of a foreclosure.
Brian Collin Hernandez, 28, faces two counts of first-degree murder along with additional charges tied to disorderly conduct and interfering with reporting domestic violence.
Authorities say 24-year-old Estefania Abril-Hernandez was reported missing by family members.
The next day, Illinois State Police located her vehicle traveling along Interstate 80 and conducted a traffic stop.
Hernandez was behind the wheel, and investigators say he also had his wife’s cellphone in his possession.
After taking him into custody, officers went to the couple’s former residence. Inside, they found the victim in a second-floor bedroom.
“After gaining access to the home through an unlocked window, authorities found Estefania deceased, lying on a bed in a second-floor bedroom with a vacuum power cord wrapped tightly around her neck,” prosecutors stated.
Investigators believe the couple had gone to the home together to gather belongings ahead of a foreclosure sale. While inside, the situation escalated into violence.
“It is further alleged that the argument turned physical leading Hernandez to strangle Estefania with a vacuum power cord which he wrapped around her neck more than nine times,” the statement continued.
Authorities say he fled after the killing. During the investigation, detectives uncovered messages he allegedly sent shortly afterward.
“Hey [redacted] please call me I have something to confess please,” one message read. “I’m pretty sure estefania is dead,” another said.
Prosecutors also pointed to his prior legal issues, including an active order of protection involving the victim.
“What makes this case particularly troubling is the fact despite having an active order of protection against him… Mr. Hernandez allegedly thumbed his nose at the law, and violently murdered his wife,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said.
He remains held without bond in the DuPage County Jail until his court appearance on April 6.
In Iowa, a man is accused of fatally stabbing his wife after what investigators described as a planned attack inside their apartment.
James Martin, 47, faces a first-degree murder charge in the death of 41-year-old Amber Martin.
Detectives say the killing followed deliberate preparation. “In the hours leading up to the defendant killing the victim, the defendant formulated a plan to kill the victim,” investigators wrote.
“The defendant retrieved a kitchen knife and surprised the victim as she exited another room and stabbed the victim repeatedly.”
Police were called to the apartment early that morning and found Amber Martin with multiple stab wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Newly released details indicate the suspect’s mother witnessed the attack. She told investigators she had come to the apartment overnight because her son’s mental health had been deteriorating.
After falling asleep, she woke to sounds she initially believed were coming from a pet before hearing a voice calling for help.
According to her account, she entered the room and saw her son attacking his wife. She pleaded with him to stop.
When the attack ended, she could not find her phone and asked him to call police.
Officers later recovered a knife in the kitchen sink along with blood evidence throughout the home. Martin admitted to the killing, according to investigators.
He told authorities he believed he was “putting her out of her misery,” citing financial problems he thought they could not overcome. He is being held on a $1 million bond.
