Police search Joshua Tree for missing sister of Saturday Night Live writer

Law enforcement officials announced on October 9, 2026, that they were searching the Joshua Tree area in California for Christina Downer. Downer is the missing sister of Saturday Night Live writer Jimmy Fowlie, according to the New York Post. She was last seen in December 2025. [1]

The New York Post reported that the Los Angeles Police Department Robbery Homicide division told NBC Los Angeles that detectives and canine units were searching for evidence linked to the disappearance. The police search is focused on the desert region of Joshua Tree. [1][5]

In April 2026, Fowlie made a social media post stating that his sister was believed to be dead. However, officials from the Los Angeles Police Department said the investigation into her disappearance remains ongoing, as reported by the New York Post. [1]