Jennifer Hudson

The mother and brother of Oscar-winning American actress Jennifer Hudson have been shot dead and her seven-year-old nephew is missing, police said.
The bodies of Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson, were found at their family home in Chicago on Friday.
Police are searching for the actress' nephew, but a suspect thought to have abducted him was arrested, reports say.
Hudson's whereabouts are unknown but her publicist confirmed the incident.
"We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation concerning the deaths of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson," Lisa Kasteler, Hudson's personal publicist, said in a statement.
Deputy police chief Joseph Patterson said Ms Donerson's body was found on the living room floor of her home in the south side of Chicago. Jason Hudson's body was discovered in the bedroom.
Both had "fatal gunshot wounds", he added.

Investigators say there did not appear to be any sign of forced entry.
Police have cordoned off access to the large white house.
'Armed and dangerous'
"Currently we're looking for a 1994 white suburban vehicle that's missing from the location as well as a seven-year-old African-American child," said deputy chief Patterson.
Authorities have issued a Amber Alert for Julian King.
Police said in a statement that he might be in the company of a suspect in the murder investigation, but later local media reports said that the suspect had been taken into custody and did not have the child with him.
Hudson, 27, a singer-turned-actress who shot to fame on American Idol in 2005, won an Oscar for best supporting actress in the hit-film Dreamgirls in 2006 and starred in the film Sex and the City.
She is currently starring in The Secret Life of Bees.

Jennifer Hudson's Sister's Plea: 'Just Let My Baby Go'

By Charlotte Triggs


One day after Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother were found shot to death in their Chicago home – and her nephew Julian King was kidnapped – the Oscar winner's sister Julia made an impassioned plea for her son's return.

"I don't care who you are, just let the baby go," Julia Hudson said in a press conference held at the Pleasant Gift Missionary Baptist Church on Saturday. "I just want my son. He don't deserve this."

An Amber Alert was issued for the boy, Julian King, 7, on Friday and named Julia Hudson's estranged husband, William Balfour, 27, as a suspect in the slayings. Balfour is in police custody for questioning, but no charges have been filed.

An autopsy confirmed that Darnell Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, died of gunshot wounds.

"It hurts," Julia Hudson said of her mother and brother's deaths. "We're in a state of shock. I don't know what else to do but pray."

Julian King, the missing nephew of Jennifer Hudson

With the boy's father, Greg King, by her side, Julia Hudson asked the public to keep an eye out for him, mentioning that he responds to nicknames like "Juice Box" and "Dr. King." "He's out there. Just let him go," she said. Addressing her son, she added: "I love you. Mama's looking for you." The FBI have reportedly been called in to investigate King's disappearance.

Julia added that sister Jennifer, 27, the Oscar-winning star of Dreamgirls and an American Idol alum, had flown in to be by her side as soon as she heard the tragic news. She said that upon hearing the news, Jennifer, "was screaming" and "flew in right away."

Julian had been at his grandmother's house on Friday and the two were, Julia said, "extremely close."

"I worked, so he was always with her, day in and day out," she said. "She did everything for him. She got him ready for school. She got him ready for bed."

"My greatest fear has already happened," Julia Hudson added. "My greatest hope is for him to come back."