Manatee County murder arrest: Man called 911 to report stabbing wife to death: Deputies say

Husband arrested for stabbing wife to death

Despite having a man in custody, many questions remain as to why he allegedly stabbed his wife to death. FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.

BRADENTON, Fla. - A man was arrested after calling 911 to report that he allegedly stabbed his wife several times Thursday night, according to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.

What we know:

MCSO said around 5:40 p.m. Thursday night, the 911 call came in from Jesse Nicholas Jones, 39. The stabbing occurred in their home on the 3700 block of 82nd Avenue Circle East in south Manatee County.

"Just a lot of police action. We all felt good when we saw their children coming out," neighbor Carol Fraser said.

Fraser said what occurred was shocking.

"I had only met them once briefly to say hi. They are very friendly, like I said, busy with the baby, so, and they only moved in just over a year ago. So, I had gotten to know them too well but like I said, we never had this kind of stuff happening here, so very upsetting," Fraser said. 

Deputies said when they arrived, they found Meaghan Bowler, 32, in a bathroom suffering from stab wounds.

What we don't know:

"He [Jones] hasn’t told us why he did what he did. That’s what we will continue to investigate as we get into phones and collect evidence," Randy Warren, with the Manatee County Sheriff's Office, said.

Deputies began life-saving measures until fire and EMS personnel took over. Bowler was taken to a local hospital where she later died from her injuries, according to MCSO.

Courtesy: Manatee County Sheriff's Office

Deputies took Jones into custody.

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said they have responded several times in the past to the family's home, but never for any physical violence.

What they're saying:

"Twice he called us thinking somebody had broken into the property, no evidence of that, and most recently we had an alarm call there," Warren said. 

Deputies are trying to piece together why this happened. 

"We look back at the calls and things that happened there, and we are trying to see if there was any type of a pattern… so far he [Jones] hasn’t given us a good reason as to why he felt that he needed to stab her [Bowler], but there was a bit of omission from the phone call," Warren said. 

The couple’s two children, both under the age of two, were inside the home and were found unharmed.

Jones was arrested on a murder charge.

What's next:

Investigators are still trying to determine the motive for this incident.

Jones will remain behind bars until a pre-trial detention hearing next Friday, April 17. 

Bowler's family, who live in Australia, have been notified of her death. 

Investigators said the children will be evaluated by DCF.