Tragedy struck the Florida political scene as Nancy Metayer Bowen, the vice chair of Florida’s Democratic Party, was discovered dead in her home Wednesday morning. Her husband has been taken into custody in connection with what authorities suspect is a domestic violence incident.

Nancy Metayer Bowen, who also served as the vice mayor of Coral Springs, Florida, passed away early in the morning at her residence. She was 38 years old and had been considering a run for Congress.

The police have arrested her husband, Stephen Bowen, aged 40, as part of their investigation into the tragic event, which they suspect involves domestic violence, as stated during a press briefing later that day.

Details surrounding Metayer Bowen’s death remain scarce, and law enforcement officials have yet to provide additional information on the circumstances.

Metayer Bowen was a trailblazer in politics, being a first-generation Haitian-American who had already made significant strides in her career even before gaining prominence in Florida.

Her academic achievements include graduating from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her professional journey included internships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, former Senator Bill Nelson, and the administration of former President Barack Obama, as highlighted on her LinkedIn profile.

She took a short break from politics to pivot to charity work in Haiti before circling back to Florida. There, she started her first job in the Broward County government as a program manager for the Junior Sustainability Stewards Program.

Metayer Bowen, 38, quickly rose through the ranks of several nonprofit organizations and even founded one of her own, while balancing her various duties in government, according to her LinkedIn.

She was tapped to serve as Coral Springs’ vice mayor in late 2024. In her announcement, she promised to continue “building a brighter, more inclusive future for us all.”

That same year, she linked with former President Joe Biden’s re-election team and, after he dropped out of the presidential race, pivoted to Kamala Harris’ campaign as their Florida Caribbean vote director.

In March 2025, she was named the Florida Democratic Party’s Vice Chair of Haitian American Voter Engagement.

“Throughout her years in public office, she led with integrity, compassion, and an unwavering sense of purpose. 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,” Metayer Bowen’s family wrote in a statement.

Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz confirmed in a post on X that Metayer Bowen was weeks away from announcing her own campaign for Congress.

“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 wrote.

Moskowitz also referenced Metayer Bowen’s youngest brother’s recent passing.

Donovan Joshua Leigh Metayer, 26, took his own life in December 2025 after a years-long battle against schizophrenia. He was a survivor of the Parkland high school shooting.

Metayer Bowen’s death is still under investigation.