The father of an Australian woman who was allegedly murdered by her husband in Florida has revealed her family grew worried about her wellbeing after she moved to the US to be with her accused killer.
Mother-of-two Meaghan Bowler, 32, was found with multiple stab wounds in the bathtub of her home in Manatee County, south of Tampa, at 5.40pm on April 9 after her husband Jesse Nicholas Jones, 39, called police and allegedly said “I have stabbed my wife”.
Meaghan’s two young children, both aged under 2, were both home at the time when police arrived and were not injured, and during the 911 call Jones allegedly said the stabbing took place “last night”, and “I hope I didn’t wait too long”.
Paramedics desperately tried to save Meaghan’s life and helped her regain a faint pulse, but she later died in hospital.
Jones was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, but an April 17 bond hearing was pushed back to May 22 after his lawyer requested a mental competency evaluation and he remains behind bars.
Meaghan’s father Tony, who observed the bond hearing via Zoom with his wife Stephanie, told the Bradenton Herald last week his daughter “saw the good in everyone”, saying it was “one of her greatest strengths, but it also made her vulnerable”.
Mr Bowler said Meaghan met Jones online in 2022 and later moved to Florida to be with him, although he had concerns about Jones when he visited Australia.
Family and friends then lost almost all contact with Meaghan by mid-2024, were not given her address, and had to sent her items via Jones’s mother.
Increasingly worried, they hid a secret code phrase inside a jacket they sent to Meaghan in the hopes she would use it if she needed help, but will likely never know if she saw it.
Mr Bowler said his daughter, who grew up on the NSW Central Coast, “genuinely loved people”, had friendships with people living all around the world, and would be remembered for her kindness, humour and energy.
“I miss the laughter. I just miss her beautiful spirit,” he said.
Header image: Left, Meaghan Bowler (supplied). Right, Jesse Nicholas Jones (Manatee Country Sheriff’s Office).
