The former husband of a slain Saturday Night Live (SNL) writer says she had been “afraid” of her actor boyfriend, who is now one of two people arrested in connection with her alleged murder.
Ryan Downer told Our News Outlet that he had suspected something was wrong after his ex-wife, Christina Downer, mysteriously disappeared. He requested a welfare check after she was reported missing late last year.
Those concerns intensified Thursday, when actor Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, and Kaylee Nicole Markowski, 34, were arrested on allegations that they killed Christina, disposed of her body and attempted to conceal their roles in the case.
Ryan said he was still unsure whether investigators had found Christina’s body. However, the arrests appeared to confirm his long-held belief that Brandon was the central suspect.
“I just knew that she was afraid of that guy and had a restraining order on him,” he told Our News Outlet.
Ryan and Christina divorced in 2023 but remained on friendly terms. She would still call him from time to time to check in, he said, though those conversations stopped around September 2025.
“I didn’t even know she had moved away, and we couldn’t get in touch with her,” he said. “But I know that she was afraid of him.”
Christina, who was the sister of Jimmy Fowlie, was reported missing by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on December 15, 2025. Authorities said she had last been contacted in late November.
Ryan Downer, the ex-husband of slain Christina Downer (pictured), told Our News Outlet she was ‘afraid’ of her boyfriend Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, who was arrested Thursday for her alleged murder
Christina, sister of SNL writer Jimmy Fowlie (both pictured), was reported missing on December 15, 2025, although she had last been contacted in late November
Ryan said he still did not know whether Christina’s body had been found, but the arrests reinforced what he had suspected from the beginning: that Brandon (pictured) was the prime suspect
At the time, Brandon claimed she had moved out months earlier. But her belongings, including her car and dog, were left behind.
Her cellphone later washed ashore at Santa Monica Beach, prompting the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division to take control of the investigation, according to authorities.
The department announced Friday that Brandon and Markowski had been arrested and identified them as responsible for Christina’s death, though it did not disclose further details.
Brandon was hauled into custody in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, while Markowski was arrested in Tarzana. Both remain in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center, with bail set at $2 million apiece.
Although the investigation remains ongoing and police have not established a clear motive, Ryan told Our News Outlet he was glad authorities were ‘dealing with it and figuring it all out.’
Weeks before the arrests, detectives searched an Airbnb in Joshua Tree and scoured the surrounding desert with the help of K-9 units and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
It remains unclear what led detectives to the property or what, if anything, they found during the searches, NBC Los Angeles reported.
Authorities have not confirmed whether they were looking for Christina’s remains, saying only that they were searching for evidence.
Ryan told Our News Outlet: ‘I just knew that she was afraid of that guy and had a restraining order on him’ (pictured: Christina)
Kaylee Nicole Markowski, 34, was also arrested Thursday. The pair are accused of killing Christina, disposing of her body and covering up their involvement, according to the LAPD
In April, Christina’s brother, SNL writer Jimmy Fowlie, revealed that investigators had told his family she was ‘no longer alive,’ according to a post he shared on Instagram.
‘We have reason to believe that in the weeks before she went missing, her phone and social media were compromised,’ he wrote.
‘The individual(s) in possession of her phone used it to hide the fact that she was gone, to ask for money, and to create a false narrative that she was going ‘off the grid.’
Our News Outlet revealed in May that Christina had kept a largely hidden life as an adult actress and exotic dancer, while people who knew her said she had been struggling with her mental health in recent years.
The extent of her troubled relationship with Brandon also emerged, including a restraining order she filed against his ex-girlfriend, accusing the woman of stalking and harassing her.
After going weeks without hearing from Christina, Ryan ultimately called police to request a welfare check.
He told Our News Outlet: ‘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.’
Ryan and Christina had married in 2015 in their hometown of Woburn, Massachusetts. Christina later worked as an exotic dancer at a local gentlemen’s club, performing under the name ‘Chavon Taylor,’ after leaving the adult entertainment industry.
Our News Outlet revealed in May that Christina had kept a largely hidden life as an adult actress and exotic dancer
In April, Christina’s brother, SNL writer Jimmy Fowlie (both pictured), revealed that investigators had told his family she was ‘no longer alive’
Although the investigation remains ongoing and police have not established a clear motive, Ryan told Our News Outlet he was glad authorities were ‘dealing with it and figuring it all out’ (pictured: Christina)
They separated in November 2023, citing ‘irreconcilable differences,’ according to court documents obtained by Our News Outlet, but their breakup was amicable.
Ryan and Christina married in 2015 in their hometown of Woburn, Massachusetts, not too far from where she danced at a local gentlemen’s club after giving up a career in adult entertainment. She went by the name ‘Chavon Taylor.’
The couple, who remained on good terms, separated in November 2023, citing ‘irreconcilable differences,’ according to court documents obtained by Our News Outlet.
