Christina Downer’s boyfriend and a second suspect were jailed as Los Angeles detectives prepared the case for prosecutors.
LOS ANGELES, CA — Los Angeles police have arrested the boyfriend of Christina Downer and a second person on suspicion of murdering the 38-year-old woman, nearly a year after the sister of “Saturday Night Live” writer Jimmy Fowlie was reported missing.
Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, and Kaylee Nicole Markowski, 34, were arrested Oct. 29 after an investigation led by the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division, police said. Both were booked on suspicion of murder at the Metropolitan Detention Center, with bail set at $2 million each. Detectives said they believe Brandon and Markowski were responsible for Downer’s death, disposing of her body and concealing their involvement. Those claims are allegations, and authorities had not announced criminal charges filed by prosecutors as of Saturday.
Downer was reported missing Dec. 18, 2025, after her former husband requested a welfare check because he had not heard from her for an extended period, according to police. Brandon, who was Downer’s boyfriend, told investigators at the time that she had moved out several months earlier. Police said he told them she had left behind her belongings, including her vehicle and dog.
The investigation later drew the attention of homicide detectives after Downer’s cellphone was found washed ashore on Santa Monica Beach. Police have not publicly detailed what investigators recovered from the phone or explained what evidence led them to identify Brandon and Markowski as suspects. Authorities also have not publicly disclosed a cause or manner of Downer’s death or said when they believe she died.
The investigation expanded beyond Los Angeles in October, when detectives searched a property in the Joshua Tree area for evidence connected to Downer’s disappearance. The search involved the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division and assistance from other agencies, including K-9 teams. Police did not say what, if anything, was recovered during that operation, and authorities did not publicly describe how the property was connected to the two people later arrested.
Downer’s disappearance had drawn public attention in part because Fowlie repeatedly sought information about his sister. In December, he shared a missing-person notice and said his family was concerned about her safety. He also said the family believed someone may have gained control of her phone and social media accounts after her disappearance. Police did not publicly confirm those claims at the time.
In April, Fowlie said publicly that his family had been told Downer was no longer alive and that the investigation had become a homicide case. The LAPD responded at the time by saying Downer had not been located and that her case had not officially been reclassified as a homicide investigation. The department nevertheless said the circumstances of her disappearance were suspicious and that Robbery-Homicide Division detectives were continuing their work.
Police said Brandon was arrested in the 6000 block of Garvanza Avenue in Los Angeles and Markowski was arrested in the 6000 block of Tampa Avenue in Tarzana. Authorities have not publicly described Markowski’s relationship to Downer beyond identifying her as a suspect in the investigation. Information about attorneys representing Brandon and Markowski was not immediately available in the reports reviewed.
The arrests mark the most significant public development in the investigation since Downer disappeared, but major questions remain unanswered. Police have not released the location of Downer’s remains, if they have been recovered, nor have they disclosed an alleged motive or a detailed account of how they believe she was killed. The department has also not released the evidence it says connects the two suspects to her death.
Robbery-Homicide Division detectives said they intend to present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for filing consideration. The investigation remains active, and any formal charges, court appearances or additional allegations will depend on subsequent decisions by prosecutors and the courts.
Author note: Last updated October 31, 2026.