Doctor accused of fatally poisoning his wife 'started calling himself a widow' before her death

A former Mayo Clinic doctor accused of fatally poisoning his wife was allegedly calling himself a widow before she died.

On August 20, 2023, 32-year-old Betty Bowman passed away at the Mayo Clinic St. Mary's Hospital in Minnesota 'following a sudden onset of autoimmune and infectious illness' her obituary states.

However, days after she was hospitalized tests revealed the drug colchicine was present in her system and her husband Connor Bowman, 31, was later arrested on suspicion of her murder.

Prior to her passing, Betty had no known medical conditions and her sudden illness and death was considered alarming by friends so suspicions raised.

Friends of the pair told investigators the couple were going through financial difficulties and while they were in an 'open relationship' had an agreement not to become emotionally involved with others, but Connor had allegedly developed feelings for a new girlfriend resulting in Betty bringing up the possibility of divorce.

Investigators say it was then that Connor's search history showed him searching for poison and 'lethal doses specifically for individuals weighing approximately 120 pounds' narrowing in on colchicine and buying some online, as per CBS Minnesota.

Friends also reported him making Betty drinks prior to her hospitalization which they said was unusual for him.

Connor's behavior after Betty's passing was reportedly 'indifferent' and he even 'appeared to be happy' allegedly going out for drinks two days after she died. The husband also received a $500,000 life insurance policy payout, according to police.

Despite Connor allegedly asking no autopsy be performed, a medical examiner did one anyway and discovered the presence of colchicine - a drug typically used to treat gout, a condition Betty is not reported as suffering from.

This, on top of Connor's behavior and also how he worked as a poison specialist, were all factors which led to him being arrested and charged with second and now first-degree murder.

Now, new details have emerged about his alleged behavior before and around his wife's passing.

Connor Bowman has been arrested on suspicion of killing his wife. (Olmsted County Sheriff's Office)

In the weeks after Betty passed away, multiple women met Connor on online dating site Bumble, a search warrant, filed in Olmsted County on Tuesday (May 7), revealed.

The search warrant requested information from Bumble about the conversations between Connor and the other users as well as the doctor's online browsing history.

It was discovered one online search Connor made included the words 'delete Amazon data police' and that two days prior to his wife's passing, he allegedly searched 'is widow gender neutral'.

And the term 'widower' is reportedly one Connor used on Bumble, with his account seemingly active prior to his wife's passing as the search warrant has requested Bumble provide all communication data between July 9 and October 20, 2023, alongside all account access between August 1 and October 20.

CBS News reports one witness even coming forward to claim Connor identified himself as a 'widower' on his profile prior to Betty's death.

The warrant reports another Bumble user claimed Connor told them Betty had died a year prior from an overdose, as per KTTC.