Former doctor accused of poisoning wife may have identified as widow on Bumble before her death, warrant says

Search warrant reveals new details in pharmacist’s poisoning death

ROCHESTER, Minn. —  A former Mayo Clinic resident accused of fatally poisoning his wife last year may have been identifying as a widower before she even died, a new warrant reveals.

Connor Bowman, 31, is facing charges of second- and first-degree murder for the death of 32-year-old Betty Bowman on Aug. 20, 2023.

According to her obituary, Betty Bowman died at the Mayo Clinic’s St. Marys Hospital “following a sudden onset of autoimmune and infectious illness.” While hospitalized, Betty suffered heart issues, fluid buildup in her lungs and had to have part of her colon removed. She eventually died from organ failure.  

Toxicology reports eventually revealed that the gout drug colchicine was present in Betty’s system the day after she was hospitalized. 

A search warrant filed in Olmsted County on Tuesday reveals multiple women met Connor through the dating app Bumble in the weeks following Betty’s death.

One woman told police that she matched with Connor on Bumble on Sept. 5, 2023, asking him if he thought it was OK to flirt with others. He allegedly responded, “Betty would have wanted him to move on to be happy.”

Connor also reportedly told her that Betty had died from listeria poisoning earlier in the summer. She later confronted him when she learned it had only been two-and-a-half weeks since her death, the warrant says.

Another woman who matched with Connor on Aug. 29, 2023, told investigators that he talked to her about the large life insurance payout he had received and used to pay off his student loan debt.

Investigators in October found a receipt for a $450,000 bank deposit from a life insurance company in Connor’s residence.

The warrant says another woman was “led to believe that Betty had died earlier while on comfort care due to an overdose of morphine, approximately a year prior.”

Data from Connor’s phone revealed he searched “is widow genre neutral” two days before Betty died.He identified himself as a widower in his Bumble profile, according to one witness.

The search warrant requests Bumble disclose information regarding Connor’s account access between Aug. 1 and Oct. 20, 2023, profile status changes and all communication data between July 9 and Oct. 20, 2023.

Connor’s next court date is scheduled for June 11.