‘Gossip Girl’ actress goes missing in LA, husband ‘not willing’ to help family in 2-week search
"Gossip Girl" actress Chanel Maya Banks has been missing for the past two weeks — and her husband allegedly is "not willing" to help search for her.
The 36-year-old, who has been living in the Playa Vista neighborhood of Los Angeles, was last heard from by her family on Oct. 30.
Authorities conducted four wellness checks between Nov. 7 and 8 but could not locate Banks, who played Sawyer Bennett in three episodes of the CW teen drama in 2009. They have gone on to declare her "an official missing person in California," per a GoFundMe campaign launched by her cousin Danielle-Tori Singh.
Singh detailed that she flew in from Toronto, while Banks' mom arrived from New York, to help search for the star. They managed to gain access to her home on Nov. 10 and discovered that "all of her belongings are still there," according to the page.
"The only items we did not locate are her phone and laptop," Singh shared before noting that Banks left her "little dog" behind, something she never does.
"She also does not have her vehicle because it's parked in her garage," the cousin wrote.
She went on to claim that Banks' disappearance is especially troubling because she never goes "somewhere without telling her mom."
Singh told ABC7 Eyewitness News , "Five days without hearing from my cousin is red flags and alarm bells.
"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."
To help locate the "Blue Bloods" actress, the family wants to raise money to hire a private investigator as well as cover accommodations and expenses in LA to keep up the search.
In her plea, Singh also made some troubling claims about Banks' husband of more than a year, who has allegedly refused to help the family or authorities look for her.
"He's not willing to help LAPD. He's not willing to help me or her mom find her. He is removing flyers off of posts and cars," she claimed to Eyewitness News.
Singh also wrote on the GoFundMe page, "We asked him where is Chanel, and all he continues to say is 'She does not want to be found, she will reach out when she's ready.'
"He claims he does not know where she is, he says he hasn't seen or heard from her since November 7."
The Los Angeles Police Department confirmed to KTLA that its investigators are looking into Banks' disappearance.
