Jennifer Hudson's Mother and Brother Shot Dead and Nephew Missing
A Fatal shoot out left the mother and brother of Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson dead in the mother's Chicago home - about five miles from the home of the presidential candidate Barack Obama.
The police said that a seven-year-old boy, named Julian King who is possibly the nephew of Hudson, was possibly abducted from the scene and may be in the company of William Balfour, a suspect in the double homicide investigation.
Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the deaths appeared to be the result of a domestic incident.
Deputy Chief Joseph Patterson told reporters that a family member entered the home around 3pm today and found a woman fatally shot on the living room floor. That person left the house to notify police.
When Chicago police searched the house, they found a man fatally shot in the bedroom, Patterson said. There was no sign of forced entry.
Authorities were looking for a 1994 white Chevrolet missing from the area around the home with seven-year-old Julian King inside, Bond said. The child was the grandson of the female victim, Patterson said, and Bond added the boy could also be a relative of Hudson.
Public listings show a Jennifer Hudson and Darnell Donerson at the address. Hudson grew up in Chicago and her mother's name is Darnell Donerson.
A publicist for Hudson at her record label said she was not aware of any incident involving Hudson's mother.
She did not immediately return subsequent calls and an email seeking additional information.
An email sent to Hudson's personal publicist was not immediately returned.
The Cook County medical examiner's office could not immediately identify the victims.
Police tape blocked access to the large, white house, where a crowd gathered outside.
The tragedy comes as Hudson continues to reach new heights in her career.
Her song Spotlight is No 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts and her recently released, self-tiled album debut and has been a top seller.
She is also starring in hit movie The Secret Life of Bees and won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in Dreamgirls.
In an interview last year with Vogue, Hudson credited her mother with talking her into auditioning for American Idol, which launched her career in 2004.
The singer, whose father died when she was a teenager, described herself as very close to her family.
In a recent interview she said her family, which includes older siblings Julia and Jason, helped keep her grounded.
"My faith in God and my family, they're very realistic and very normal, they're not into the whole limelight kind of thing, so when I go home to Chicago that's just another place that's home," she said.
"I stand in line with everybody else, or, when I go home to my mum I'm just Jennifer."
The police said that a seven-year-old boy, named Julian King who is possibly the nephew of Hudson, was possibly abducted from the scene and may be in the company of William Balfour, a suspect in the double homicide investigation.
Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the deaths appeared to be the result of a domestic incident.
Deputy Chief Joseph Patterson told reporters that a family member entered the home around 3pm today and found a woman fatally shot on the living room floor. That person left the house to notify police.
When Chicago police searched the house, they found a man fatally shot in the bedroom, Patterson said. There was no sign of forced entry.
Authorities were looking for a 1994 white Chevrolet missing from the area around the home with seven-year-old Julian King inside, Bond said. The child was the grandson of the female victim, Patterson said, and Bond added the boy could also be a relative of Hudson.
Public listings show a Jennifer Hudson and Darnell Donerson at the address. Hudson grew up in Chicago and her mother's name is Darnell Donerson.
A publicist for Hudson at her record label said she was not aware of any incident involving Hudson's mother.
She did not immediately return subsequent calls and an email seeking additional information.
An email sent to Hudson's personal publicist was not immediately returned.
The Cook County medical examiner's office could not immediately identify the victims.
Police tape blocked access to the large, white house, where a crowd gathered outside.
The tragedy comes as Hudson continues to reach new heights in her career.
Her song Spotlight is No 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts and her recently released, self-tiled album debut and has been a top seller.
She is also starring in hit movie The Secret Life of Bees and won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in Dreamgirls.
In an interview last year with Vogue, Hudson credited her mother with talking her into auditioning for American Idol, which launched her career in 2004.
The singer, whose father died when she was a teenager, described herself as very close to her family.
In a recent interview she said her family, which includes older siblings Julia and Jason, helped keep her grounded.
"My faith in God and my family, they're very realistic and very normal, they're not into the whole limelight kind of thing, so when I go home to Chicago that's just another place that's home," she said.
"I stand in line with everybody else, or, when I go home to my mum I'm just Jennifer."
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