Depending on who you ask, Chanel Maya Banks is either a missing person who may be in danger or injured, or she has been found and is safe.

The Playa Vista actress, known for her work on “Gossip Girl” as Sawyer Bennett and on “Blue Bloods” as Maria Romano, was reported missing Friday by her family, according to the LAPD. His cousin Danielle-Tori Singh created a GoFundMe page on Sunday.

“My cousin Chanel is missing,” Singh wrote.

Singh said the LAPD conducted two wellness checks at Banks’ home and she was not there at any time.

But on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Police Department told a different story. He said Banks was found safe in Texas on Sunday.

Hours later, a statement filled with inflammatory allegations against Banks’ family appeared on his Instagram page saying she was “finally free”. The Times could not confirm whether Banks wrote the message. The family questioned the veracity of the message.

At a news conference earlier Wednesday, Singh called police’s claim that they had verified Banks was in Texas “fake news” and said his cousin was still missing. She alleged that a woman found in Texas with Banks’ expired New York ID was not her cousin.

The woman claimed to be Banks, Singh said, adding that police told him they thought it was Banks because the woman also had long hair and blue eyes.

“What I saw was a woman who didn’t look like my cousin,” Singh said. “She was much skinnier, the woman in the body camera footage. She was wearing things my cousin wouldn’t normally wear and her voice was different. Her accent was different.”

Banks’ mother, Judy Kumar, echoed this claim and denied that the woman in the video was Banks. “I know what my daughter looks like,” she said.

But in the statement, Banks said her mother and cousin were lying to the media.

Singh said she last spoke with Banks on Oct. 27 in a seemingly normal FaceTime call. She said Banks quickly said she had to hang up because her husband was there.

The LAPD dismissed the family’s concerns but declined to elaborate on why it was so sure the woman found in Texas was Banks.

“I can’t control what the family says, but for our purposes, she was found on November 11, 2024 in Texas,” LAPD Officer David Cuellar said. “She’s an adult; if she wants to be in Texas, she has every right to do so.”

As of Wednesday, Banks was no longer listed on California’s missing persons registry.

The GoFundMe page the family posted to raise money for search efforts was still active, however.

“Our Trust & Safety team works directly with the organizer and funds are held securely by our payment processors,” said Alex White, GoFundMe spokesperson.

Singh said Banks’ husband, Carlos Jimenez, was not cooperative with the family during the investigation. According to Singh, Jimenez told his apartment’s property manager on Monday that Banks was at home in their apartment; the property manager notified the police, who then arrived to perform a health check, but Jimenez would not open the door.

Later that day, Jimenez told police he had pinged Banks’ AirPods somewhere in Texas, Singh said.

“If I don’t hear from Chanel within the hour, I will send more officers,” Singh texted to a phone number that the Times confirmed belonged to Jimenez.

“Chanel is fine,” he replied. “I spoke to the officers and they will check on her soon. She is aware that you are trying to talk to her.”

“That’s not what the police told me,” Singh replied. “If she knows I’m trying to contact her, why isn’t she responding?” »

Jimenez told the Times that Banks had gone on a trip and was supposed to return, but chose not to. He denied the allegation in the Instagram post that his family was trying to put Banks under conservatorship. He said that before Banks disappeared, she had accused her family of mistreating her. Jimenez said Banks urged him not to tell police about her whereabouts, which is why he refused to let them into his apartment for a wellness check.

Eventually, Jimenez said he cooperated with police and told them which hotel Banks was staying at in Texas because she had her AirPods and he was able to track them. According to Jimenez, police were able to see her in person in Texas and confirm that she is OK.

Banks is still in Texas, has since blocked Jimenez and refuses to speak to him or his family, he said. According to Jimenez, Banks spoke with Singh “from time to time to keep up appearances” and spoke with his mother on a semi-regular basis.

“I think she’s doing this of her own free will,” Jimenez said. “I respect his choice not to speak with me or his family.”

Singh said neither she nor Banks’ mother had spoken to Banks since police said she was discovered. The banks’ phone and laptop have also not been traced, Singh said.

Authorities have refused to give Banks’ family the location or contact information of the woman found in Texas.

“Chanel, I know you’re alive,” Singh said. “Every bone in my body says you’re alive and I’m going to find you.”

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This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.