The family of actress Chanel Banks, who had been missing since October 30, say she is still missing after Los Angeles police stated she had been found safe and unharmed in San Antonio. Amber Frias reports for the NBC4 News at 5 p.m. on Nov. 13, 2024.
Los Angeles police said "Gossip Girl" actor Chanel Banks was found safe after her reported disappearance days ago, but family members insist that the 36-year-old is still missing.
The Los Angeles Police Department said Wednesday that Banks, of Playa Vista, was found in Texas after she was reported missing Nov. 8. The family said in a GoFundMe post that welfare checks were made at Banks' residence Nov. 7 and 8, but she was not at the home.
The family's last contact with Banks was Oct. 30, according to the post. Missing person posters were distributed in the neighborhood of Los Angeles' Westside.
Details about the circumstances around her reported disappearance were not immediately available.
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On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Police Department told NBCLA it had been notified by authorities in San Antonio, Texas that Banks had been found safe. There was no indication of foul play, the department said.
After reports the Banks had been found surfaced, her cousin and mother held a news conference in Playa Vista and claimed she had not been located.
"Please don't stop looking for my cousin," Banks' cousin Danielle-Tori Singh said in a social media post.
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Singh said she has seen video and audio from body cam footage showing the woman found in Texas. She insisted the woman is not Banks.
NBCLA reached out to Banks' husband, who said she has been on a trip and was never missing. He pointed out a post on his wife's Instagram account, which said she is ok.
NBCLA has sent Banks a message through the Instagram account.
Banks played Sawyer Bennett in three episodes of "Gossip Girl." She also appeared in "Blue Bloods" and had a part in the movie "Twelve."
NBCLA has reached out to law enforcement authorities in Southern California and Texas for further details.
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