An SNL writer who made an emotional plea after his sister disappeared in Los Angeles has now said police have informed her family she is “no longer alive.”
Jimmy Fowlie’s sister Christina Lynn Downer disappeared suddenly last year, with police sharing that she was last in contact in late November. She had not been seen or heard from since.
In a tragic update posted on Instagram, Fowlie wrote: “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.
“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 went on to say that the family has “reason to believe that in the weeks before she went missing, her phone and social media were compromised.”
The Independent has reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department for comment.
Fowlie’s statement 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. I want to amplify her story in the only way I know how. And to express that she was a beautiful person who matters in this world, especially to me.
“I also believe there is a chance that someone who knows something might find the courage to step forward. My sister can no longer advocate for herself, but I can and I hope you will too.”
In the caption of the post, Fowlie told his followers that he would be taking “a step back from social media due to the intense overwhelming feelings.”
He concluded: “Please take any info you may have directly to LAPD and not me.”
Downer, who was 38 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen in the Koreatown neighborhood of the city, according to another post uploaded by Fowlie.
Fowlie said on Instagram that the last time he saw Downer in-person was on September 17. According to him, the last time anyone spoke to her on the phone was on October 5. But messages from her cell phone continued to be sent into December.
Downer’s accounts last posted on social media on December 15, Fowlie wrote. In a missing persons poster shared by the LAPD on December 22, she was described as being 5’01”, and as having brown hair and brown eyes.
Fowlie shared the poster on his social media account, adding: “We are worried that she isn’t safe.”
