Chanel Maya Banks’ family now say the ‘Gossip Girl’ actress may have joined a cult

The ongoing saga of Chanel Maya Banks keeps getting stranger. Now, according to her family, the former actor is alive but in the clutches of a cult.

Known for her roles in Gossip Girl and Blue Bloods, Banks was credited as Chanel Farrell at the time. More recently, Banks first started to worry her family when she disappeared without a word. According to The Independent, a search began that lasted for two weeks before she appeared to be found safe and sound. Banks’ cousin, Danielle-Tori Singh has been the most vocal in the media and indicated that not hearing from her for more than a week caused significant concern.

Soon after, the Los Angeles police department reported that Banks had been found alive, but then the story took a strange turn. While the police stated that they found a woman identifying herself as Banks in Texas, the family did not believe this account. After reviewing the bodycam footage distributed by the LAPD, Banks’ family stated that the woman claiming to be Chanel was a fraud. Since then, Singh has stated during a press conference via CBS Austin that she believes her cousin to be indoctrinated into a religious organization.

“We know she’s a part of a cult. We know that this organized group is not allowing her (to use) her phone.”

Singh also alleges that the woman claiming to be Banks is posting under her Instagram handle. The post has since been deleted but the account stated that Banks wanted to “be free of a toxic woman and her family.” She also added that she had found religion and she had a way to “escape my cage.” Singh further addressed this post.

“The things that she is posting on her social media are not true and it’s not her. The only facial recognition that she provided is a little clip that she posted — or whoever posted — of her where she’s getting her makeup done last night.”

Singh alleges that the LAPD has given up on the case, but she stands by her fears that her cousin is not safe.

Chanel Maya Banks was supposedly caught in a separate video

Since Danielle-Tori Singh devoted her time to find her family member’s whereabouts, she states she has discovered more than the authorities. She later announced that someone sent her a YouTube clip of a woman in Texas, where the police had claimed to find her. In the background of the video, Singh claims you can see Chanel Maya Banks looking purposefully into the camera. The video was of a supposed retreat, firming up concerns that she had joined a cult.

Unfortunately, that is all the information there is at this time. The family of Banks still believes that she is unsafe, especially considering the questionable circumstances surrounding her disappearance and the difficulty locating her whereabouts. Banks’ husband is allegedly also not assisting in the search, adding more confusion to the situation. Singh quoted him as saying: “She does not want to be found, she will reach out when she’s ready.” He claims to not know where she is. All of this further muddies the waters of a complex issue that has not been resolved yet, but we will keep our ear to the ground as more details continue to come to light.