Authorities searching Joshua Tree in Christina Downer disappearance – NBC Los Angeles – USFTB

Authorities searched a property in Joshua Tree in connection with the disappearance of Christina Downer, whose brother is a writer for “Saturday Night Live,” the Los Angeles Police Department told NBC4 Investigates Friday.

Investigators were led to an Airbnb property as part of their search for Downer and conducted an extensive search with the assistance of K-9 units and the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, according to the LAPD.

The department declined to disclose what, if anything, was found at the property but said the investigation remains ongoing.

Downer, sister of SNL writer Jimmy Fowlie, was reported missing in December 2025. The 38-year-old had last been contacted in late November, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. 

In a social media post shared in April, Fowlie posted that his sister was “no longer alive.” 

However, the Los Angeles Police Department said law enforcement officials continued to investigate Downer’s disappearance.

“Our prayers for her to be found safely have transformed into prayers for the truth to be revealed and for those responsible to be held accountable,” Fowlie’s post from April 29 read. “We have reason to believe that in the weeks before she went missing, her phone and social media were compromised. The individual(s) in possession of her phone used it to hide the fact she was gone, to ask for money, and to create a false narrative that she was going ‘off the grid.’”

Authorities did not confirm that they were searching for remains and only said they are looking for evidence in the area.

The LAPD told NBC4 Investigates that detectives from its Robbery-Homicide Division, assisted by K-9 units, are searching for evidence related to Downer’s disappearance. The division handles some of the department’s most complex and high-profile investigations.