In a tragic incident in Florida, a man allegedly used a pillow as a silencer to fatally shoot his wife, who served as the vice mayor of a local city. Authorities report that Stephen Bowen is facing charges of first-degree murder following the discovery of his wife, Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy Metayer Bowen, dead in their residence.

The chain of events began when Metayer Bowen did not appear at a scheduled commission meeting on Wednesday morning, raising initial concerns about her wellbeing. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit issued by police on Thursday afternoon, her unexpected absence prompted officials to take action.

As attempts to contact Metayer Bowen through calls and text messages failed, the police chief dispatched an officer to conduct a welfare check at her home. Despite reaching out to Bowen, who claimed he was unable to contact his wife, he did not respond to further calls from authorities.

Arriving at the residence around 10:20 a.m., officers found no vehicles in the driveway, and no one answered the door. A neighbor reported having seen Metayer Bowen walking her dog around midnight but had not seen her since then.

Upon further inspection, police discovered damage on the second floor of the home, which suggested it was caused by an outward force, likely from a projectile. Debris from the drywall was also found scattered on the ground, adding to the evidence of the violent events that transpired.

Cops noted seeing some damage on the second floor of the home which was indicative of “outward force” from a projectile. There was drywall debris on the ground.

Shortly after 1:30 p.m., officers spotted Bowen’s pickup truck in a parking lot and began surveilling him. Bowen was allegedly seen handing a bag that appeared to contain a rifle to a relative.

Minutes later, cops received a 911 call from the man who received the bag from Bowen. The man said that Bowen revealed to him that he “did something” to his wife and she was “not alive,” the affidavit stated. According to the man, Bowen allegedly admitted to shooting his wife three times with a shotgun the previous night. Asked why he shot her, Bowen said it was because he “couldn’t take it anymore,” per cops.

Bowen allegedly went downstairs after shooting her and went to sleep.

With that information in hand, officers had what they needed to enter Metayer Bowen’s home to conduct a safety sweep. They discovered Metayer Bowen’s body in her bed. Investigators also found three spent shell casings wrapped with her body in a blanket.

They also located a pillow with burn marks that Bowen allegedly used to muzzle the shotgun blast. Cops did not publicly divulge a motive.

According to her biography, Metayer Bowen was elected to the Coral Springs commission in 2020 and reelected four years later. She began serving her second one-year stint as vice mayor in November. Metayer Bowen was the first Black woman and Haitian American elected to the commission. She also served as the vice chair of the Florida Democratic Party.

“Nancy was not simply our Vice Chair of Haitian Outreach. She was a scientist. An environmentalist. A brilliant barrier-breaker who made history as the first Black and Haitian-American woman elected to the Coral Springs City Commission,” Florida Democratic Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement. “A Vice Mayor who showed up every single day for the people she served. She loved her community deeply and believed, with every fiber of her being, that a better and more equitable future was possible for all of us. Above all, 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.”