The story of ‘missing’ Gossip Girl actress Chanel Maya Banks has taken another bizarre turn as her family has doubled down on their claims that she is not the woman found by police in Texas.
After a two-week search for the star who plays Sawyer Bennett on the hit Netflix show, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) tracked down a 36-year-old woman in Texas on Monday, saying they found the actress unharmed.
The Gossip Girl icon has now revealed that she ran away from her family to be baptized by Pastor Robert Clancey, who recently preached about the ‘end times’.
But her family has doubled down on the fact that they do not believe the woman police found is Banks.
The star’s cousin, Danielle-Tori Singh, shared on her Instagram Story: ‘I have the Texas PD bodycam footage shown to us at the Pacific Police Station in LA on Monday, November 11th.
The family of Chanel Maya Banks has doubled down on their claims that a woman, 36, who LAPD discovered on Monday is not the Gossip Girl star
Banks appeared in three episodes of Gossip Girl in 2009, playing the role of Sawyer Bennett
Banks’ family does not believe the woman found in Texas is the actress. Pictured: Banks’ mother Judy Kumar, 59, and cousin Danielle-Tori Singh
“This is the woman they tell us is Chanel. We told them this is not Chanel. They didn’t listen to us and closed the business.
“That’s why @ohhheychanel won’t post a video saying she’s safe, because it’s not Chanel,” Singh ended the explanation, after flying in from Toronto to help with the search.
Singh previously said the LAPD update was “fake news” and that the woman they found claiming to be Banks is an “imposter.”
She added that she will continue to distribute flyers for missing persons. ABC7 reports.
It comes after Banks took to social media on Wednesday night with a statement making a series of strong accusations against her family.
An Instagram account belonging to Banks posted four frames from a note-taking app screenshot in which she commented on the issues that arose.
It was not immediately clear whether Banks wrote the messages himself on the account, which has been verified and has a total of 70 messages over more than three and a half years. KTL reported.
Jimenez told the station over the phone that Banks “decided she didn’t want to talk to the family anymore because of past issues they were having.”
She reportedly said on the social media site: “My name is Chanel Banks, I am a 36 year old American nobody,” adding that her family members are “all so very ‘concerned’ about my current whereabouts.”
Banks, who also appeared in a 2010 episode of Blue Bloods, acknowledged speaking to police during the investigation into her alleged disappearance.
“I met with the police and determined that not only am I okay, but I am finally free of my… family,” Banks said.
She alluded to her religious faith as a factor in cutting off contact with some of her relatives.
“They say, once you are free in Christ Jesus, you are free indeed, so six days ago I told my husband that I would be baptized by one of my favorite preachers, Reverend Robert Clancy,” Banks wrote. “He took me to the airport and then I was off for a week.”
She continued, “God said, ‘I’m going to give you some money and I was shocked when it looked exactly like He said!’
Banks took to social media on Wednesday night with a statement making a series of strong accusations against her family. Pictured on her TikTok account
Banks’ cousin previously said the LAPD update was “fake news” and that the woman they found claiming to be Banks is an “imposter.” Pictured: Banks on her TikTok
Banks appeared in a 2010 episode of the police drama Blue Bloods
Banks said God told her to move, so she took a first-class flight “to the Promised Land.”
The actress also said she was “raising a loud shout out to people in high places who still have a soul and want to keep it at a time like this.” Reach out. Help me.’
Banks said she found out “hours before she left” that some of her family members were “vigorously pursuing a conservatorship.” [i.e.] full legal control.’
She added that “there will be no more lies” and that “everything that is in darkness must be brought to light… thus says the Lord.”
Banks ended her statement by saying, “PLEASE DON’T DONATE TO ANY GO FUND ME THAT SAYS I’M MISSING, I’M NOT MISSING.”
Relatives of the actress had previously reported her missing, claiming that her husband Carlos Jimenez had not helped them in their search.
Police subsequently said that Banks, a resident of Playa Vista, California, was found unharmed in Texas on Wednesday and that there was no foul play in the now-closed case.
Banks’ family claims they last heard from her on October 30 when she texted her cousin Danielle-Tori Singh, who is leading the fundraising campaign for her urgent return.
The actress had been living with her husband in an apartment in Playa Vista for a year before her relatives suddenly stopped hearing from her, Singh said. ABC7.
Singh claims a tip led police to a home in Texas and a woman, who identified herself as Banks, opened the door.
However, the family claims, after reviewing police CCTV footage of the encounter, that the woman was not Banks.
Authorities in California had conducted four welfare checks at the actress’ Playa Vista property this month alone, but Banks was not home on any of the occasions, KTLA reported.
When the family visited the home, they discovered her belongings were still at the location, including her “emotional support” dog and car. However, her phone and laptop were not found.