Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
Missing “Gossip Girl” actor Chanel Banks, who was found in Texas on Monday, has accused her family of abuse in a shocking Instagram note. Days after launching an investigation, the LAPD confirmed that an outside agency located her in Texas, noting, “She is OK.” Reportedly, her family members started a since-deleted GoFundMe fundraiser, revealing that they last connected with the 36-year-old on October 30. The fundraiser noted that authorities failed to find her during four welfare checks and ruled her a missing person.
However, Banks announced on Instagram that she is “not missing” and that her family “made up” her disappearance. She also explained in her Instagram bio that she went away for some time to “be free of a toxic woman and her family.” Later, in a series of Instagram Stories, the actor revealed that her family “mercilessly gang stalked me.” She also accused them and her mother of decades of “abuse” and “manipulation” and of pursuing a “conservatorship.”
Chanel Banks claims her family is ‘vehemently pursuing a conservatorship’
Chanel Banks said shortly before leaving, she found out that her mother and her family “were vehemently pursuing a conservatorship.” Banks revealed that she has suffered “abominable abuses” at the hands of her mother and her family for more than three decades. She accused them of perpetrating “ritual sexual abuse, manipulation, and outright endless torment” ever since she was a baby. The 36-year-old then demanded justice and freedom for herself and “everyone suffering in silence.”
The LAPD had recently launched a missing case into the “Gossip Girl” actor, whose family alleged she disappeared in late October. PEOPLE reported that an LAPD spokesperson confirmed that an outside agency found Chanel Banks in Texas on Monday. They only announced the news two days later on Wednesday. In addition to the allegations against her mother, Banks accused her stepfather of committing abuse as well. She said, “[her stepfather] committed sex acts to me since before I can recall.” She alleged that the most recent instance occurred in her adult life in 2014.
In other bombshell revelations, Banks opened up about how her family stopped her from making personal decisions “without their approval.” She even stated an instance when her family allegedly falsified government documents to circulate lies about her mental health. She suggested that by doing this, they wanted law enforcement to “unquestionably and mercilessly pursue me.”
Chanel Banks also found out about the GoFundMe fundraiser her family started and urged people not to donate. “Please do not donate to any go fund me that says I’m missing,” she wrote, further clarifying, “I’m not missing.” Banks’ cousin had started the since-removed fundraiser that detailed the circumstances under which she disappeared. Moreover, the actor confirmed that she already met with authorities and informed them of her welfare.
