Oct 24, 2008 5:16 pm US/Central
Jennifer Hudson's Mother, Brother Fatally Shot
Police Search For 7-Year-Old Boy
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Jennifer Hudson, left, winner of a Actress in a Supporting Role Oscar for her role in "Dream Girls," poses with her mother, Darnell Hudson, at the 79th Annual Academy Awards presentations in Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 25, 2007.
Gerard Burkhart/AFP/Getty Images
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Julian King was reported missing after his uncle, Jason Hudson, and grandmother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, were found dead in a South Side home.
Hudson Family
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Police are searching for William Balfour in connection with the Oct. 24 slayings of Jason Hudson and Darnell Hudson Donerson.
Courtesy: Chicago Police Department
The mother and brother of Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson were found shot to death Friday afternoon in a South Side residence.
Hudson's mother, 57-year-old Darnell Hudson Donerson, was pronounced dead at 5 p.m. at her home, 7019 S. Yale Ave. Her son, 29-year-old Jason Hudson, was also pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Cook County Medical Examiner's office spokesman.
"This is a very sad day to get that kind of news," said Willie Davis, pastor of Progressive Baptist Church, where he indicated Jennifer Hudson has been a member. "This is really going to be a major, major blow to such a wonderful person … But we know through our faith in God she'll get through it."
Davis said Hudson's relationship with her mother was "very close." The performer was expected to arrive in her home town of Chicago from Florida, he said.
Police issued an Amber Alert for a missing 7-year-old child, a nephew of Hudson's, and identified a man, William Balfour, as a person they sought to interview. Published reports late Friday said he was in policy custody, but the boy was still missing.
The bodies of Hudson's mother and brother were found at about 3 p.m., police said. The shooting is believed to be domestic-related. Neighbors said they heard gunshots between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Friday morning, authorities said.
A family member found the bodies at Donerson's Englewood home. The mother was found on the living room floor; the brother was found in a bedroom. The crime didn't appear to be a robbery, police said. The door to the home was not locked when the family member arrived, police said.
Police were searching for a missing boy, identified as Julian King -- Donerson's grandson. Balfour, 27, is a convicted felon who was released from prison in 2006, according to the state Department of Corrections.
Hudson, 27, became famous after appearing on "American Idol" in 2004. She went on to win an Oscar for her performance in the film "Dreamgirls."
The tragedy comes as the performer 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 was featured in this year's blockbuster film "Sex and the City" and is also starring in hit movie "The Secret Life of Bees."
In an interview last year with Vogue, Hudson credited her mother with encouraging her to audition for "American Idol." The singer, whose father died when she was a teenager, described herself as very close to her family. In a recent AP interview she said her family, which also includes an older sister, Julia, 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. "
Hudson recently announced her engagement to David Otunga, best known for his stint on VH1's reality show "I Love New York."
Hudson's representatives would not disclose her whereabouts Friday.
She had been scheduled to appear Monday in Los Angeles to collect an ensemble cast honor at the Hollywood Awards for "The Secret Life of Bees" with co-stars including Alicia Keys, Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning.
The STNG Wire and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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