Depending on whom you ask, Chanel Maya Banks is either a missing person who may be in danger or hurt, or she has been located and is safe.
The Playa Vista actor known for her work on “Gossip Girl” as the character Sawyer Bennett and “Blue Bloods” as Maria Romano was reported missing on Nov. 8 by her family, according to the LAPD. Her cousin, Danielle Tori-Singh, created a GoFundMe on Sunday.
“My cousin Chanel is missing,” wrote Tori-Singh.
Tori-Singh said the LAPD performed two wellness checks at Banks’ home and she was not there either time.
But on Wednesday, the LAPD told a different story. They reported that Banks had been found safe in Texas on Sunday.
Tori-Singh called the report “fake news” and said that her cousin was still missing. She claimed that a woman found in Texas with Banks’ expired New York identification card was not actually her cousin.
“I have positively identified that that is not her,” said Tori-Singh in an 8-minute Facebook video recorded from her car. “I’ve known her for 31 years. I know what she looks like.”
But the LAPD shot down her concerns.
“I can’t control what the family is saying but for our purposes she was found Nov. 11, 2024, in Texas,” said LAPD officer David Cuellar. “She’s an adult; if she wants to be in Texas she has every right to.“
By Wednesday, Banks was no longer in California’s registry of missing persons.
The GoFundMe the family posted to raise money for the search effort, however, was still up Wednesday.
“Our Trust & Safety team is working directly with the organizer and the funds are being safely held by our payment processors,” said Alex White, a GoFundMe spokesperson.
Tori-Singh did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
