Two arrested in death of ‘SNL’ writer’s missing sister, including her boyfriend

The boyfriend of Christina Downer, the sister of “Saturday Night Live” writer Jimmy Fowlie, is among two people arrested on suspicion of murder nearly a year after her disappearance, the Los Angeles Police Department said Friday. The two people arrested were identified as Delorean Bijon Brandon and Kaylee Nicole Markowski. Downer was reported missing in December 2025 after her ex-husband requested a welfare check. The 38-year-old had last been contacted in late November, according to the LAPD. Brandon, Downer’s boyfriend, initially claimed that she had moved out of their shared residence. He also said that she left behind all her belongings, including her car and dog, the LAPD said. When Downer’s cellphone later washed ashore at Santa Monica Beach, homicide detectives took over the case and began taking a closer look, the LAPD said. Without providing details, the LAPD said its detectives believe Brandon and Markowski were responsible for Downer’s murder and then disposed of her body and concealed the crime. Brandon was arrested Friday in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, while Markowski was taken into custody in Tarzana, the LAPD said. They were each held on $2 million bail and face a murder charge. Earlier this month, authorities searched a property in Joshua Tree in connection with her disappearance. The LAPD said investigators were led to an Airbnb property as part of their search for Downer and conducted an extensive search with the assistance of K-9 units and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Authorities did not confirm that they were searching for remains and only said they are looking for evidence in the area. In April, Fowlie posted on social media in April that his sister was “no longer alive.” “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’s April 29 post read. “We have reason to believe that in the weeks before she went missing, her phone and social media were compromised. The individual(s) 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.’”