After disappearing without a trace over two weeks ago, Chanel Maya Banks, the 36-year-old actress known for her roles in hit shows like Gossip Girl and Blue Bloods, has made a dramatic comeback.
The news comes as a relief to Banks’ worried family, who had launched a desperate search after losing contact with the actress on October 30th. The Los Angeles Police Department reports that they safely located Banks on Tuesday, found her unharmed, and suspect no foul play in her disappearance.
“She is fine,” LAPD spokesperson Charles Miller stated. “No danger. She is OK. We have removed her from the missing person system and concluded our investigation.” However, at least one of Banks’ family members is still doubtful that the authorities have actually found the right person, clouding the resolution to this mystery.
Danielle-Tori Singh, Banks’ cousin who flew in from Toronto to assist in the search, questioned the LAPD’s findings. “They are confident enough that they have seen her,” Singh said in a press conference on Wednesday. However, that doesn’t suffice for us.
Singh claimed to have viewed body camera footage from Texas police that showed a woman who appeared thinner and older than Banks, wearing clothing the actress would not typically wear. The woman also presented an expired New York ID, leading Singh to believe she may have been impersonating Banks.
The mysterious circumstances surrounding Banks’ disappearance have only deepened with this latest development. Just days before she was reported missing, Singh noticed alarming injuries on Banks’ husband when she visited their shared apartment, including a “busted lip and marks and scratches on his neck and arms.”
Singh promptly notified the LAPD, who took photos of the husband’s injuries, which “he did not have two days ago when police did the last welfare check,” according to Singh’s posts on a crowdfunding page set up to aid the search.
When authorities questioned the husband about Banks’ whereabouts, he allegedly told them, “She does not want to be found; she will reach out when she’s ready.” He claimed to have last heard from his wife on November 7th.
These troubling details have only heightened the family’s concerns for Banks’ well-being. Singh had expressed earlier in the week that five days without hearing from her cousin is a serious concern. “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.”
On Wednesday, messages with the headline “I am not missing” appeared on a social media account under Banks’ name, adding to the mystery. The messages claimed abuse by her family and indicated she had willingly left “to escape my cage.”
The LAPD insists that they have safely located Banks, but her family is adamant that the woman they found is not their beloved relative. Singh vowed to continue distributing missing person flyers in the hopes of finding the true Chanel Maya Banks.
This is a developing story, and the fate of the talented actress remains uncertain. The Banks family is appealing to the public for any information that could help uncover the truth behind Chanel’s mysterious disappearance and subsequent reappearance. For now, the search continues.