Two people have been arrested on suspicion of murder nearly a year after the sister of a Saturday Night Live writer disappeared, police said.
Delorean Bijon Brandon and Kaylee Nicole Markowski were taken into custody Thursday in connection with the alleged killing of Christina Downer, the Los Angeles Police Department announced Friday.
Downer, the sister of Jimmy Fowlie, disappeared late last year. She was reported missing on December 15, 2025, after her ex-husband asked police to conduct a welfare check when he could no longer reach her, authorities said.
Brandon, Downer’s boyfriend, reportedly told investigators that she had moved away months earlier. However, her belongings, car and dog were still at the property.
Downer’s cellphone was later discovered on the shore at Santa Monica Beach. Police said Brandon and Markowski were identified as being responsible for her death.
The LAPD said Brandon, 41, and Markowski, 34, are also accused of disposing of Downer’s body and hiding their involvement in the case.
Earlier this month, police searched an Airbnb in Joshua Tree as part of the investigation into Downer’s disappearance, NBC Los Angeles previously reported.
Investigators deployed K-9 units and carried out an extensive search across the California desert, the LAPD told the outlet. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department also assisted.
Delorean Bijon Brandon and Kaylee Nicole Markowski were arrested Thursday in connection with the alleged killing of Christina Downer (pictured), the Los Angeles Police Department said Friday.
Downer, pictured with her brother and SNL writer Jimmy Fowlie, disappeared late last year and was reported missing in December 2025 after her family lost contact with her.
Police did not say whether anything connected to the case had been found, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Brandon and Markowski are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, with bail set at $2 million each.
Downer disappeared after posting an unusual message on social media. In the image, she wore a tight red top in her Los Angeles apartment and appeared to be coyly pouting at the camera.
“Living at peace. If you wanna send me a Christmas treat, I’ll be waiting. Happy holidays, everyone,” she wrote on December 14, 2025.
She also listed her Cash App and Venmo usernames in her Instagram bio, allowing her roughly 700 followers to send her money.
Friends and relatives said the lighthearted post seemed unusual because they had not heard from Christina for weeks before it was published. They made the comments to Our News Outlet in May.
Her brother Jimmy has said he believes she is dead. In a heartbreaking post in April, he wrote: “Our prayers for her to be found safely have transformed into prayer for the truth to be revealed and for those responsible to be held accountable.”
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Police, however, continue to classify Downer’s case as a disappearance. The department also declined to tell NBC whether officers were searching for human remains in Joshua Tree.
Downer disappeared after sharing an unusual social media post showing her in a tight red top in her Los Angeles apartment, where she appeared to be coyly pouting at the camera.
Our News Outlet reported in May that Downer had lived a double life as an adult actress and exotic dancer and, according to people who knew her, had struggled with her mental health in recent years.
Our News Outlet reported in May that Downer had lived a double life as an adult actress and exotic dancer. People who knew her said she had also struggled with her mental health in recent years.
Downer had a turbulent relationship with Brandon, an R&B singer with tattoos on his face. She also filed a restraining order against his former girlfriend, accusing the woman of stalking and harassing her.
Her former husband, Ryan Downer, told Our News Outlet in May that he requested a welfare check in December after she failed to respond to him for several weeks.
Ryan and Christina married in 2015 in their hometown of Woburn, Massachusetts, not far from the local gentlemen’s club where Christina danced after leaving the adult entertainment industry. She performed under the name “Chavon Taylor.”
The couple separated in November 2023, citing “irreconcilable differences,” according to court documents obtained by Our News Outlet. Their split was described as amicable.
Ryan contacted authorities after Christina stopped responding to him for weeks.
“It just doesn’t make any sense why she would leave without telling anyone. That’s not like her. We just want to know what happened because none of it makes any sense.”
Police searched an Airbnb in Joshua Tree earlier this month as part of the continuing investigation into Downer’s disappearance, NBC Los Angeles previously reported.
When officers conducted a welfare check at her Koreatown apartment, the residence was clean and orderly, with nothing unusual apparent, Ryan told Our News Outlet.
Our News Outlet also reported in May that Christina and Brandon had an on-and-off relationship.
Ryan described their relationship as toxic and said Christina frequently left him voice messages about their problems.
In September 2024, Christina sought a temporary restraining order against Brandon’s former girlfriend, alleging that she had harassed the couple for years.
Our News Outlet contacted the LAPD for comment.
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