Florida vice mayor found dead in her home hours before she was set to announce a congressional run, and her husband is now in custody

Nancy Metayer Bowen, vice mayor and commissioner of Coral Springs, Florida, was found dead in her home on Wednesday morning after officers conducted a wellness check. Her husband, Stephen Bowen, has been taken into custody, and police are investigating the death as a domestic violence incident. Officials have confirmed they are not seeking any additional suspects.

As reported by TMZ, Florida Representative Jared Moskowitz revealed that Metayer Bowen had been preparing to formally announce her candidacy for a congressional seat, with that announcement scheduled for Thursday, hours after she was discovered. She was reportedly planning to run in the Democratic primary for the seat currently held by Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.

Metayer Bowen was first elected as commissioner for Coral Springs in 2020, making history as the first Black and Haitian American woman to hold that position in the city. She was reelected in 2024 and appointed to serve her second term as vice mayor in November 2025.

The seat she was running for is already at the center of a federal case

The congressional seat Metayer Bowen was targeting carries its own legal backdrop. In November 2025, a federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment charging Representative Cherfilus-McCormick and several co-defendants with stealing federal disaster funds, laundering the proceeds, and using the money to support her 2021 congressional campaign.

The indictment alleges that Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, routed a $5 million FEMA overpayment through multiple accounts before directing a substantial portion into her campaign. The indictment further alleges that she and co-defendant Nadege Leblanc arranged additional contributions through straw donors, funneling money from the FEMA-funded COVID-19 contract to friends and relatives who then donated as if the funds were their own.

Cherfilus-McCormick and her tax preparer, David K. Spencer, were also charged with conspiring to file a false federal tax return, including falsely claiming personal expenses as business deductions and inflating charitable contributions. The case is among several ongoing investigations into misconduct by public officials, amid a separate DHS probe into Border Patrol leadership that was reportedly suppressed before it could conclude.

Attorney General Pamela Bondi said of the Cherfilus-McCormick charges: “Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime. No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain.” U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones added that the indictment reflects the office’s commitment to ensuring that public money is used as intended and that taxpayer trust is protected.

If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick faces up to 53 years in prison. Edwin Cherfilus faces up to 35 years, Leblanc up to 10 years, and Spencer up to 33 years. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alejandra L. Lopez and Yeney Hernandez and DOJ Criminal Division Trial Attorney John P. Taddei, with the FBI Miami and IRS Criminal Investigation Florida Field Office leading the investigation.

An indictment is an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The murder charge proceedings against Tyler Robinson in a separate high-profile case have similarly illustrated how contested the evidentiary record can become once a defense team begins its review.

Stephen Bowen remains in custody as of the time of this report.