No-Body Murder Rocks SNL Family

Crime scene tape with police lights in the background — Photo: New Africa / Shutterstock

A Los Angeles woman vanished last December, and now prosecutors say her boyfriend killed her while another woman in his life helped hide what he did.

Story Snapshot

Christina Downer, 38, sister of “Saturday Night Live” writer Jimmy Fowlie, disappeared in December 2025.
Prosecutors charged her boyfriend, Delorean Bijon Brandon, 41, with murder on November 2, 2026.
Brandon’s other girlfriend, Kaylee Nicole Markowski, 34, faces two felony counts as an accessory after the fact.
Investigators say Brandon killed Downer on or about September 19, 2025, though her body has not been found.

A Year-Long Disappearance Ends in Murder Charges

Christina Downer went missing last December, and her brother Jimmy Fowlie, a writer on “Saturday Night Live,” spoke publicly about her disappearance. Nearly a year later, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery-Homicide Division announced arrests. Detectives said they used several investigative techniques to identify Brandon and Markowski as responsible for Downer’s murder, the disposal of her body, and efforts to cover up what happened.

Both suspects were booked on suspicion of murder and held on two million dollars bail each. Days later, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office formally charged Brandon with one count of murder in case number 26CJCF07003. He also faces two felony counts of injuring a spouse, tied to a separate victim identified as his wife.

A Love Triangle Turns Deadly

Court records describe a tangled web of relationships between Brandon, Downer, and Markowski. Filings reportedly include claims of blackmail, threats, and fear before Downer vanished, along with restraining orders connected to Markowski. Prosecutors allege Markowski helped dispose of Downer’s body after the killing, making her an accessory rather than a direct participant in the murder itself.

Brandon initially told investigators a different story. He reportedly said Downer had moved out months earlier, leaving behind her car, her dog, and her belongings. Separately, Brandon has said he was just as worried about Downer’s disappearance as everyone else and that he missed her, framing the restraining orders as something Downer herself pushed for.

Proving a Murder Without a Body

Downer’s case falls into a category prosecutors call a no-body homicide. Her remains have not been recovered, but legal experts note that missing remains do not block a murder charge. Courts have convicted defendants before based on circumstantial evidence like interrupted routines, phone records, financial activity, and witness accounts. Reports indicate Downer’s phone later washed ashore, adding another piece to the evidence trail investigators built over nearly a year.

A Saturday Night Live writer's sister is presumed dead, and prosecutors say her boyfriend and his ex-girlfriend worked together to cover it up.

Christina Downer, 38, was allegedly killed by her boyfriend Delorean Bijon Brandon on or around Sept. 19, 2025. Her remains have not… pic.twitter.com/sTBz2Zs4BG

— Fox True Crime (@FoxTrueCrime) November 10, 2026

Cases like this remain far from rare. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System listed 26,626 unresolved missing-person cases nationwide in a single report, a reminder that Downer’s disappearance was one among thousands of open files sitting on investigators’ desks. Fowlie has called his sister’s death a “profound loss” as the case now moves toward trial.