‘She saw the good in everyone.’ Father mourns woman killed in Manatee stabbing
The father of a Manatee County woman killed in a stabbing earlier this month is speaking out about his daughter’s life as new details emerge in the investigation.
Meaghan Bowler, 32, was a caring and outgoing person who “genuinely loved people” and had a natural ability to connect with others, her father, Tony Bowler, said.
“I just want people to remember her for the love and warmth she brought,” he said.
Deputies found Meaghan Bowler with multiple stab wounds inside her home on 82nd Avenue Circle East in south Manatee County on April 9, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office. She later died at a local hospital, and deputies arrested her husband, 39-year-old Jesse Nicholas Jones.
“She saw the good in everyone,” Tony Bowler said. “That was one of her greatest strengths, but it also made her vulnerable.”
Long before she settled in Manatee County, Meaghan Bowler grew up on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia.
She studied event management and developed an interest in real estate, inspired by her grandmother, who worked as an agent. She loved tennis, hiking and spending time at the beach, and maintained friendships across the world, Tony Bowler said.
Tony Bowler said his daughter met Jones online in 2022 and later moved to Florida to be with him, though he had concerns when Jones visited Australia later that year.
Over time, he said, communication with her became increasingly limited following the move.
By mid-2024, Meaghan Bowler had largely lost contact with family and longtime friends, Tony Bowler said. The family was not given her address and instead sent items through Jones’ mother.
As contact dwindled, Tony Bowler said the family grew increasingly worried about her well-being.
In an attempt to reach her, the family created a secret code phrase and hid it inside a jacket they sent, hoping she could use it to signal she needed help.
They never learned whether she saw it.
During the 911 call, Jones told the dispatcher the stabbing had happened “last night,” suggesting Meaghan Bowler had been injured hours before he called for help, according to the arrest report.
Jones also told the dispatcher, “I hope I didn’t wait too long,” the report states.
He said he stabbed his wife multiple times in the torso with a kitchen instrument during an argument, according to the report.
When deputies arrived, Jones answered the door while still on the phone with 911 and directed them to an upstairs bathroom, where they found Meaghan Bowler unconscious in a bathtub with multiple stab wounds, according to the report.
Investigators said Jones told the dispatcher the stabbing occurred on the first floor and that he moved her upstairs.
Emergency crews performed lifesaving measures for about 20 minutes and regained a faint pulse before taking Meaghan Bowler to a hospital, where she later died, according to the report.
The couple’s two children, both under the age of 2, were inside the home at the time and were not injured, detectives said.
Jones remains in custody without bond on a first-degree murder charge, according to court records. He has pleaded not guilty.
His attorney filed a “Suggestion of Incompetence” on April 16, and a judge later appointed mental health experts to evaluate whether he is competent to stand trial. He is scheduled to be arraigned May 22, court records show.
An attorney representing Jones did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Tony Bowler said he now focuses on memories of his daughter, especially her energy, humor and kindness.
“I miss the laughter,” he said. “I just miss her beautiful spirit.”
