UPDATE: After family members desperately searched for missing “Gossip Girl” actress Chanel Maya Banks after not hearing from her for two weeks, she has been found safe and no foul play is suspected, according to reports.
The Los Angeles Police Department told ABC 7 that the actress was unharmed and the missing person case has been closed.
The original story is below:
The 36-year-old, who appeared in three episodes of ‘Gossip Girl’ in 2009, was last heard from on Oct. 30, according to a GoFundMe account created by one of her cousins.
“She lives in the Playa Vista area in Los Angeles, California. Our last contact with her was October 30, 2024,” her cousin, Danielle-Tori Singh, wrote in the description.
Three welfare checks were recently carried out by police officers, including one on Nov. 7 and two more on Nov. 8, but she reportedly wasn’t home.
“Chanel is an official missing person in California. Her missing person Case # [is] 241414853,” Singh added.
After the first three welfare checks produced nothing, Singh and her aunt, Judy Singh—Banks’ mother—traveled to Playa Vista and were able to get into her apartment on Nov. 10.
Her belongings, her small dog, and her vehicle were still in the home when they got there. The only things missing were her phone, laptop, and Banks herself.
The family grew even more worried when they met up with Banks’ husband, who they say has been “uncooperative with police.”
“We noticed on November 10 that her husband has a busted lip and marks and scratches on his neck and arms,” Singh explains.
“Police were called on November 10 and they took pictures of his injuries, which he did not have two days ago when police did the last welfare check,” she added.
@ohheychanel For the memories 🎂🎞️🤍 . . . . To celebrate my birthday, my fiancé planned a thoughtful & romantic birthday celebration. First he surprised me with a visit to one of my favorite shops 🎁 Then it was off to my now absolute favorite place in the actual us of a. When we got there my he had the most gorgeous flower arrangement waiting for me at our table 🥹 We enjoyed an incredible meal starring some wagyu I’ll probably never stop dreaming about. Finally it was time for some sweet music and a sultry little pool moment to end the evening 😌 . “Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance.” . #vlog#fyp#dateideas#birthdayideas#bride#couplegoals
♬ original sound – Chanel
When Singh and her aunt asked Banks’ husband where she was, he said that she “does not want to be found” and that she’ll “reach out when she’s ready.”
In an interview with Eyewitness News, Singh further claimed that the husband was “removing flyers off of posts and cars” because he doesn’t want anyone to help find her.
“I can tell you in my soul, in my gut, something is not right. … We’re crossing two weeks now without a word, without a sound. Nothing,” she said.
While the husband claims to not know where she is, he did say she was last seen on Nov. 7, but he failed to notify police officers.
As of Nov. 10, the husband hadn’t been arrested and hadn’t committed a crime by withholding information. Police also told the family there doesn’t seem to be any signs of foul play at this time.
According to the family, Banks and her husband have been married for “just over a year.”
@ohheychanel Happy New Year loved ones!!! Just like this year- 2023 is going to be the BEST YEAR YET! 💋✨🥳🥂🍾❤️❤️ . . . . . . . #nye2023#happynewyear#loveofmylife#soulmates#champagnekisses#oldyearsnight
♬ original sound – Chanel
They were also adamant that Banks would “NEVER go somewhere without telling her mom,” especially since her mother lives in New York and Banks doesn’t have any family or friends in Playa Vista.
In an interview with KTLA5, Singh claimed that she won’t leave California until she gets answers.
“We love you so much,” Singh told the outlet. “We just want to know you’re okay and that you’re safe and that nobody did anything to you.”
Banks’ mother urged the community to pray for her daughter.
“We are hearing stuff here and there, people saying this and that, but I know that’s not my daughter,” she said to KTLA5.
As for the GoFundMe, the family says the funds will be used to hire a private investigator since the LAPD can’t do anything until they have evidence or probable cause of a crime.
Banks burst onto the acting scene as Sawyer Bennett in the third season of “Gossip Girl” in 2009, according to IMDB. She appeared in episodes 7, 9, and 12.
She also appeared in the 2010 film “Twelve” and the pilot episode of “Blue Bloods,” also in 2010.