Depending on who you ask, Chanel Maya Banks is either a missing person who could be in danger or injured, or she’s been found and is safe.
The Playa Vista actor, known for his roles as Sawyer Bennett on Gossip Girl and Maria Romano on Blue Bloods, was reported missing by his family on Nov. 8, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. Her cousin, Daniel Tolishin, set up a GoFundMe on Sunday.
“My cousin Chanel is missing,” Tori-Shin wrote.
Tori-Shing said the Los Angeles Police Department conducted two welfare checks at Banks’ home, but Banks was not at the scene on either occasion.
But on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Police Department told a different story. They reported that Banks was found safe in Texas on Sunday.
Tori-Shing called the report “fake news” and said her cousin was still missing. She claimed that the woman found in Texas with Banks’ expired New York ID was not actually her cousin.
“I could definitely confirm that it wasn’t her,” Tori-Singh said in an eight-minute Facebook video recorded from her car. “I’ve known her for 31 years. I know what she looks like.”
However, the Los Angeles Police Department dismissed her concerns.
“We can’t control what the family says, but for our purposes, she was found in Texas on November 11, 2024,” LAPD Officer David Cuellar said. “She’s an adult. If she wants to stay in Texas, she has the right to do so.”
By Wednesday, Banks had disappeared from California’s missing persons registry.
However, a GoFundMe posted by the family to raise money for search efforts was still active Wednesday.
“Our Trust & Safety team works directly with organizers, and funds are held securely by our payment processor,” GoFundMe spokesperson Alex White said in a statement.
Tri-Singh did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
