LOS ANGELES (Azat TV) – Los Angeles police arrested two suspects, including the victim’s boyfriend, on October 29, 2026, in connection with the murder and disappearance of 38-year-old Christina Downer, the sister of former “Saturday Night Live” writer Jimmy Fowlie, according to the Variety report. The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, and Kaylee Nicole Markowski, 34, were taken into custody on suspicion of murder, disposing of a body, and concealing a crime. Both suspects were booked into the Metropolitan Detention Center with bail set at $2,000,000 each.
Downer had been 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. Investigators stated she was last contacted in late November 2025. Following her disappearance, Brandon initially told law enforcement that Downer had moved out several months earlier, leaving behind all of her personal belongings, including her vehicle and dog.
The Investigation and Phone Compromise
The inquiry shifted significantly when Downer’s cellphone washed ashore on a beach in Santa Monica, prompting homicide detectives from the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division to take over the case. Authorities developed evidence leading them to believe that Brandon and Markowski were responsible for her death and subsequent cover-up efforts.
In April 2026, Jimmy Fowlie shared on social media that police had informed his family that his sister was no longer alive. Fowlie stated at the time that he believed her phone and social media accounts had been compromised in the weeks before she went missing, with individuals using her device to request money and create a false narrative that she had gone off the grid.
Recent Search Operations in Joshua Tree
Earlier in October 2026, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at an Airbnb property in Joshua Tree in the high desert, utilizing K-9 units and working alongside the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities emphasized that the desert search focused on gathering physical evidence related to her disappearance rather than confirming the recovery of remains at that stage.
Brandon was arrested on Garvanza Avenue in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, while Markowski was taken into custody on Tampa Avenue in Tarzana. Both face formal charges as the investigation proceeds toward judicial prosecution.