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 Nov. 8 by her family, according to the LAPD. His cousin, Danielle-Tori Singh, created a GoFundMe on Sunday.

“My cousin Chanel is missing,” Singh wrote.

Singh said the LAPD conducted two health checks at Banks’ home and she was not there both times.

But on Wednesday, the LAPD told a different story. They reported that Banks was found safe in Texas on Sunday.

Singh called the information “fake news” and said his cousin was still missing. She claimed that a woman found in Texas with Banks’ expired New York ID was not actually her cousin.

The woman was found with an expired New York driver’s license and claimed to be Banks, Singh said, adding that police told him they thought it was Banks because the woman also had hair long 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 added.

Singh said she last spoke with Banks on Oct. 27 in a seemingly normal FaceTime call. She noted that 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 they were 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 the family posted to raise money for the search effort, however, was still online Wednesday.

“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 Nov. 11 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 declined an interview with The Times, saying he would make a statement to an unspecified media outlet Wednesday afternoon.

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.”

Sign up for Essential California to get news, features and recommendations from the LA Times and beyond delivered to your inbox six days a week.

This story was originally published in Los Angeles Times.