Christina Downer, the 38-year-old sister of Saturday Night Live writer Jimmy Fowlie, was reported missing in December 2025. Nearly a year later, on October 29, 2026, the Los Angeles Police Department arrested two people in connection with her death. Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, Downer’s boyfriend, and Kaylee Nicole Markowski, 34, were taken into custody on suspicion of murder, according to an LAPD statement released on Friday, October 30, 2026. The arrests bring a major development in a case that drew attention after Fowlie, a writer on NBC’s long-running sketch show, used social media to ask the public for help finding his sister.
Trigger warning: This article contains details about a homicide investigation and a missing person case. Reader discretion is advised.
Who Was Christina Downer and How Did She Disappear
Christina Lynn Downer was last heard from in late November 2025. Her brother, Jimmy Fowlie, shared on Instagram that he last received a message from her on November 26, and that she remained active on social media until December 15, 2025. Downer was reported missing on December 18, 2025, after her ex-husband requested a welfare check because he had not heard from her for an extended period.
At the time, Downer’s boyfriend, Delorean Brandon, told investigators that she had moved out several months earlier. Police said Brandon claimed Downer left behind all of her belongings, including her vehicle and her dog. The circumstances raised immediate concern among her family and friends, who said it was unlike her to cut off contact.
Jimmy Fowlie went public with a missing persons appeal on December 22, 2025. He shared photos of his sister and a flier from the LAPD’s Missing Persons Unit on Instagram. “My sister has been missing and we are worried that she isn’t safe,” Fowlie wrote. “Her married name is Downer but she may go by Christina Fowlie. Please share this so that if anyone has seen her, they can give any information to the police”. His post was reshared by several SNL cast members, including Sarah Sherman and Bowen Yang, helping the case reach a wider audience.
Downer was known to be closely attached to her miniature pinscher, Rex. Fowlie noted in his appeal that if anyone saw his sister, the dog would likely be with her. The detail became one of the few personal clues in a case that otherwise offered little public information.
The Break in the Case: A Phone on the Beach
The investigation took a critical turn when Downer’s cellphone washed ashore on Santa Monica Beach. The discovery pushed the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division to take over the case from the missing persons unit. Police said detectives used various investigative techniques to identify the people they believe are responsible for Downer’s death.
In the months that followed, investigators focused on a property in Joshua Tree, a desert area several hours from Los Angeles. Earlier in October 2026, authorities searched an Airbnb in the area with the help of K-9 units and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. The LAPD did not confirm whether human remains were found at the location, only that the search was part of the ongoing effort to locate evidence connected to Downer’s disappearance.
The LAPD’s statement on the arrests was direct about the allegations. “Through various investigative techniques, detectives identified Delorean Brandon and Kaylee Markowski as the individuals responsible for Downer’s murder, the disposal of her body, and the concealment of their involvement,” the department said.
The Two Suspects and Their Arrests
Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, was arrested in the 6000 block of Garvanza Avenue in Los Angeles. He was Downer’s boyfriend at the time of her disappearance. Kaylee Nicole Markowski, 34, was arrested in the 6000 block of Tampa Avenue in Tarzana, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley.
Both were booked at the Metropolitan Detention Center on murder charges, with bail set at $2 million each. Information about legal representation for the two suspects was not immediately available, and they are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Brandon’s role as Downer’s boyfriend placed him at the center of the initial missing persons inquiry. When Downer’s ex-husband requested the welfare check, Brandon told police she had moved out months earlier. The claim that she left behind her car, her dog, and all of her personal belongings became a key inconsistency that investigators later examined.
Markowski’s connection to Downer has not been publicly detailed by authorities. The LAPD’s statement identifies her as a suspect in the murder and the disposal of the body, but the department has not released information about how the two suspects know each other or what evidence links Markowski to the case.
Jimmy Fowlie’s Public Plea and the Family’s Search for Answers
Jimmy Fowlie has been a writer on Saturday Night Live since 2022, joining during the show’s 48th season. He is credited with co-writing the viral “Domingo” sketch, which featured cast member Marcello Hernández and guest host Ariana Grande in October 2024. He also won a Primetime Emmy for his writing on SNL50: The Anniversary Special.
His professional success stood in sharp contrast to the personal crisis that unfolded after his sister’s disappearance. In April 2026, Fowlie shared a lengthy Instagram post announcing that the LAPD had informed his family that Downer was “no longer alive” and that the case had transitioned from a missing person inquiry to a homicide investigation.
“Our prayers for her to be found safely have transformed into prayers for the truth to be revealed and for those responsible to be held accountable,” Fowlie wrote. He also raised concerns that his sister’s phone and social media accounts had been compromised in the weeks before she went missing. According to Fowlie, the person or people in possession of her phone used it to “hide the fact she was gone, to ask for money, and to create a false narrative that she was going ‘off the grid’”.
“I am sharing this because I believe that whoever is responsible is hoping to erase her in every way possible. I want to amplify her story in the only way I know how. And to express that she was a beautiful person who matters in this world, especially to me.” — Jimmy Fowlie, in an April 2026 Instagram post
The LAPD at the time disputed Fowlie’s characterization that the case had been officially reclassified. A spokesperson told NBC News that although the circumstances of Downer’s disappearance were suspicious, she had not been located and the case had not been formally reclassified as a homicide. The arrests in October effectively confirmed what Fowlie had told the public months earlier: investigators were treating Downer’s death as a criminal matter.
Support From the SNL Family and the Comedy Community
When Fowlie shared the news of his sister’s death in April, the comment section of his Instagram post became a gathering place for support from the entertainment industry. SNL cast members and comedians responded with messages of condolences and offers of help.
Kenan Thompson wrote, “Aw damn Jimmy I’m so so so sorry!!! May they be brought to justice swiftly!!!” Marcello Hernández commented, “Love you jimmy. So sorry man.” Chloe Fineman said, “I love you Jimmy and i cant wait to give you the biggest biggedt hug.” Ego Nwodim wrote, “I love you Jimmy.” Other responses came from Tommy Brennan, Melissa Villaseñor, Drew Tarver, and Edi Patterson, among others.
The support extended beyond the show. When Fowlie first posted the missing persons flier in December 2025, his message was boosted by Ego Nwodim, Heidi Gardner, Bowen Yang, Sarah Sherman, Chloe Fineman, Ashley Padilla, James Austin Johnson, and Celeste Yim. The collective reach of those shares helped keep Downer’s case visible during the critical early weeks of the investigation.
What the LAPD Has Said and What Comes Next in the Legal Process
The LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division will present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration, the department said in its statement. The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not released further details about the evidence that led to the arrests or about the circumstances of Downer’s death.
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The arrests mark the first significant development in the case since Downer’s disappearance nearly a year earlier. The search in Joshua Tree and the recovery of Downer’s phone on Santa Monica Beach were the two publicly known investigative steps that preceded the arrests. Police have not confirmed whether Downer’s body has been recovered.
Christina Downer was 38 years old at the time of her death. She is survived by her brother, Jimmy Fowlie, and other family members who spent months pressing for information and accountability. The two suspects remain in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles.
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