Chanel Maya Banks, who starred in Blue Bloods and played Vanessa in Gossip Girl, was found “safe and sound” on Wednesday, law enforcement told TMZ. She reportedly has no injuries and no foul play is suspected.
The actress, 36, disappeared from her Los Angeles apartment two weeks ago and had not been seen since, her family says. They filed a missing person’s report on Nov. 8.
She was last heard from on Oct. 30, when she texted her cousin, Danielle-Tori Singh, who was working with police and leading a fundraiser for Banks’ return.
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Despite conducting four welfare checks at the home she shares with her husband of one year, authorities with the Los Angeles Police Department had been unable to locate her.
Banks’ relatives, including her mother, Judy Singh, and cousin Danielle, traveled to Southern California to aid in the search just days after she ceased contacted with her family.
“Five days without hearing from my cousin is red flags and alarm bells,” Danielle told ABC7 Eyewitness News. “She doesn’t go more than 48 hours without speaking to me or her mom... That girl is more like a big sister to me.”
She and other family members claim they found Banks’ belongings and her dog still in her apartment. Her phone and laptop, however, were not at the property.
Danielle, who had been leading the charge to find her cousin, started distributing “Missing Person” posters in Banks’ Playa Vista neighborhood. Banks’ husband, she alleged, had been uncooperative with the family and law enforcement’s efforts to locate the actress.
“He’s not willing to help LAPD. He’s not willing to help me or her mom find her. He is removing flyers off of posts and cars,” she claimed.
But the LAPD had reportedly told Banks’ relatives that they found no signs of foul play and that “her husband has not committed any crime by withholding information.”
The family started a GoFundMe page to help with their search, and ultimately raised $3,000 to put toward hiring a private investigator. According to the fundraiser page, her relatives felt the LAPD was not taking the case seriously enough.
“I can tell you in my soul, in my gut, something is not right...” Danielle added. “We’re crossing two weeks now without a word, without a sound. Nothing.”
