Christina Downer case: Two held over 2025 disappearance

Two people were arrested Friday on suspicion of murder in the case of Christina Downer, who vanished nearly a year ago, according to law enforcement sources who spoke with NBC4 Investigates. The 38-year-old is the sister of "Saturday Night Live" writer Jimmy Fowlie.

Downer was last contacted in late November 2025 and was reported missing the following month, the Los Angeles Police Department said. Early this month, LAPD detectives from the Robbery-Homicide Division, working with K-9 teams and the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, searched an Airbnb property in Joshua Tree. Authorities said they were gathering evidence and did not confirm that they were looking for remains.

On April 29, Fowlie wrote in a social media post that his sister was "no longer alive." The post also said her phone and social media accounts appeared to have been compromised in the weeks before she disappeared. "We have reason to believe that in the weeks before she went missing, her phone and social media were compromised," Fowlie wrote, adding that whoever held the device used it to request money and to suggest she had gone "off the grid." The LAPD said its investigation continued after that post.

The Robbery-Homicide Division handles the department's most complex and high-profile investigations. No further court dates or charges have been announced.