SNL writer Jimmy Fowlie has shared a devastating update about the search for his missing sister.
The 40-year-old writer and actor announced in an Instagram post on Wednesday that his sister, Christina Lynn Downer, who has been missing for more than four months, is “no longer alive.”
“The LAPD has informed our family that Christina is no longer alive, and the case has officially transitioned from a missing person to a homicide investigation,” Fowlie wrote.
“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 first revealed that Downer, 38, was missing in a December Instagram post. Several of Fowlie’s SNL colleagues shared his plea for information about Downer’s whereabouts, including Kenan Thompson, Sarah Sherman, Bowen Yang, Chloe Fineman, and Heidi Gardner.
On Wednesday, Fowlie said he and his family “have reason to believe that in the weeks before she went missing, her phone and social media were compromised.”
He continued, “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.’ I am sharing this because I believe that whoever is responsible is hoping to erase her in every way possible.”
Fowlie had written on Instagram in December that Downer was last seen in Los Angeles’ Koreatown neighborhood, and that the last time anyone spoke to her on the phone was Oct. 5.
“She was active on social media up to Dec 15th,” he wrote, adding, “at this time the detectives have advised us not to share certain details so we don’t compromise the case.”
The actor, who has acted in comedy series such as The Other Two, Search Party, and The Goldbergs, also noted that Downer was attached to her Miniature Pinscher, Rex, writing, “if you see her chances are he’d be with her.”
It’s unclear if Rex has been found. In his new post on Wednesday, Fowlie said he wants to “amplify” Downer’s story to encourage people who might know something about her disappearance to “find the courage to step forward.”
“My sister can no longer advocate for herself, but I can and I hope you will too,” he wrote. In the caption, he said he would “take a step back from social media due to the intense overwhelming feelings,” and asked that any information be taken directly to the LAPD.
The LAPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The comedian, who co-wrote SNL’s viral “Domingo” sketches, shared a collection of photos of Downer over the years, including childhood pictures of the siblings.
