Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson and her family suffered an incredibly tragic loss on Friday, October 24th. Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson (57) and brother, Jason Hudson (29), were shot dead in their Chicago home and Jennifer's nephew, Julian King (7), who should have also been in the residence, was reported missing by his mother, Julia.
Jennifer Hudson offered a $100,000 reward for information on her nephew's whereabouts while police issued an Amber Alert for Julian King. The Amber Alert asked citizens to be on the lookout for a white Chevrolet Suburban and listed William Balfour, Jennifer Hudson's sister's ex-husband and Julian King's stepfather, as a possible suspect in the double homicide. Balfour was later taken into custody on suspicion of murder.
Jennifer Hudson's MySpace page had the following message posted on Sunday from the Hudson Family to Jennifer's fans: "Thank you all for your prayers and your calls. Please keep praying for our family and that we get Julian King back home safely. If anyone has any information about his whereabouts please contact the authorities immediately." The post was accompanied by photos of Jennifer's nephew.
On Monday morning a vehicle matching the description on the Amber Alert was located on a Chicago street. The body of a young African-American boy fitting the description of Julian King was found in the SUV.
Hudson, 27, shot to fame after appearing on – but not winning – American Idol: Season 3. That gig led to her landing the role of Effie White in Dreamgirls which led to a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Currently, Hudson can be seen on the big screen in The Secret Life of Bees co-starring Queen Latifah and Alicia Keys. She recently became engaged to David Otunga from the reality show I Love New York (2007).
