BREAKING NEWS: Jennifer Hudson’s Mother and Brother Slain, Nephew Missing

By On 10/24/2008 · 56 Comments · In Uncategorized

Breaking…I’ll be doing some editing here…

Update: The police are searching for a man identified as William Balfour, the husband of Jennifer’s sister, Julia, who they said could be with the 7-year-old boy.

TMZ is reporting that the victims are Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother…

Horrible. Just horrible.   Thoughts and prayers go out to Jennifer and her family… Apparently an amber alert has gone out for Julien.   Hopefully he’s found soon and returned safely to his family.

ETA: ABC News is confirming that both Jennifer’s mother and brother were victims.   The young boy who is missing is possibly Jennifer’s nephew, Julian King.

CHICAGO (WLS) — The mother and brother of singer and Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson were found shot to death inside a home Friday.
Police have confirmed Hudson’s mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, is one of the deceased. The other victim has been identified as Jennifer Hudson’s brother, Jason S. Hudson, 29.

The home where the bodies were discovered aruond 3 p.m. Friday is at 7019 S. Yale in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. Property records indicate the home belongs to Donerson.

A search is under way for a young boy who is missing from the home. A child, possibly Jennifer Hudson’s 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, is missing, according to sources. Police are searching for an SUV that was seen in the area – a 1994 white Suburban, Illinois license plate number X584859.

From the Chicago Tribune:

A Chicago police spokeswoman also said a young boy, whose age has been reported as both 6 and 7 years old,  was reported missing. Police said the child is identified as Julian King, but they would not say whether he is a relative of the actress.Police are also looking for  a white 1994 Chevrolet Suburban with Illinois license plate No. X584859, from that location. The  missing boy may be in the vehicle. According to a source, the actress’ sister reported the boy missing from the home.

Public records  indicate the Suburban is registered to Jason Hudson, who neighbors said is Jennifer Hudson’s brother. Authorites would not say whether  he was one of the two victims.

Jennifer Hudson is not injured, her bodyguard told the Tribune before referring all questions to a publicist.

One of the victims was a woman in her 50s who was shot in the head and the other was a 29-year-old man who was shot in the chest, according to a spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner’s office.  The spokesman did not have the victims’ identities.

At least one of the victims had defensive wounds, accoridng to police.

Chicago Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said at least one victim is “believed to be” a relative of Jennifer Hudson.

The shooting was believed to be related to a domestic disturbance, Bond said, stressing that this was preliminary information.

 
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  • itsalleternal

    That is just tragic. Probably the saddest story you have ever posted.

    All my prayers go out to Jennifer and her family and everyone else involved… :cry_wp:

  • E

    My prayers are with J hud and her family. Keep the child safe God.

  • http://www.myspace.com/jmomsblog J

    Man, while I’m happy that Jennifer is fine, I’m praying for the little boy, and my heart goes out to the two people who were shot. :glurps_tb:

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    TMZ is reporting it’s her mother and brother, but I think I’ll stick with the Chicago Tribune report for now…

  • E

    This is so sad.

  • itsalleternal

    TMZ is reporting ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s her mother and brother, but I think Ià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ll stick with the Chicago Tribune report for nowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ ¦

    I’ve heard that too, but TMZ is not a very reliable source. I’m sure that there will be confirmation soon on who it was…not sure if Jennifer herself will speak though.

  • calimari

    I am so sad reading this. I mean, I’m not a huge J-Hud fan – I’m tickled she has found such success & I really think she has so much talent. Her CD just came out – she’s been on such a high – and then to have this happen? My heart just bleeds for her. Tragic.

  • dancingqueen

    Sending prayers for all involved & the families, and for the safe return of the child.

  • schmanda

    OMG, I just saw this on Gawker. How horrible. Poor Jennifer, I just can’t imagine… :glurps_tb:

    God, here’s hoping the missing child is found unharmed.

  • leome

    This is tragic.
    My thoughts are with that family and the child.

  • http://myspace.com/saltwatercures pj

    They issued an amber alert for Julian King. I hope he is found safe. What a terrible tragedy. :(

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    CBS News is confirming her mom was one of the victims…

    Looks like someone connected to the sister was involved…they took off with her kid.

  • Grammie Kari

    OMG, her mother and brother were killed. I just cannot imagine. They say it has something to do with domestic abuse.

    May God protect the 7 year-old nephew.

    Everything was so perfect in Jennifer’s life. I just can not imagine losing your Mom through murder. May God comfort her and the rest of the family. So sad…

  • jnd1221

    This is so beyond horrible. My thoughts are with Jennifer and those affected by this senseless tragedy.

  • cookcricket

    I agree with all of those praying for Jennifer and for Julian King to be kept safe. My heart goes out to her in this tragedy.

  • GEEK4VOCAB

    This is unbelievable! I am stunned.

  • http://www.myspace.com/gwendolyndiane GwendolynD

    This is terrible news.

    My thoughts and prayers go out to Jennifer and her family.

    Unbelievable….

  • karaokequeen

    This is horrible news.

    Try not to read any of the comments on TMZ. Most are sympathetic, but there are a handful that I can hardly believe were written by a human being.

  • Trina

    What a nightmare. My heart hurts for Jennifer.

  • cruzceleste

    Really horrible news….My prays are with her and her family… I hope they can find the child safe…

  • gingerly

    I never really cared much about Jennifer, but yet I’m sitting here in tears. I just can’t help but think how meaningless an Oscar and all those records sold are compared to this. I am so praying for you to have strength, girl, you’re so going to need help with this.

  • abbysee

    Wow, take a few days off and come back to this? This sickens me. I am praying for Jen and her family, and that this young child is returned safely and unharmed. This is just detestable!

  • gerreb

    This is so sad! I cannot imagine….just last night my dad was up visiting me and he had to drive home at night, a 3 hour drive…and i watched him walk away and i thought to myself that if he got an accident on the way home i wouldn’t know what to do with myself…so i called him and told him to call me as soon as he got home so that i knew he would be safe.
    So I just cannot imagine what Jennifer is going through right now. Her and her family are in my prayers!

  • http://stores.ebay.com/BookWomanBlues-Book-Nook Bobbi

    I can’t even comprehend this kind of pain. God bless Julian and lead him home safely. My prayers are with Jennifer and her family.

  • star

    How heartbreaking. My prayers go out to Jennifer and her family.

  • Deejay

    :o hmy_tb: A friend of my family was shot and killed two years ago…it’s a terrible way to lose someone. My prayers are with J-Hud and her family.

  • http://myspace.com/girlgeek mj

    You know what? I can’t even think of anything to say except for the few words I typed above.

    This is so fucking horrible.

  • Cam

    OMG…horrific. Prayers going out for all involved in this terrible tragedy. Hoping beyond hope that the little boy is safe and soon found by the police. :(

  • http://myspace.com/saltwatercures pj

    Sadly, this sort of thing happens every day. :( Ironically, this is domestic violence awareness month.

  • Allison

    this is really terrible!

  • shell29

    OMG…praying for Jennifer and her family right now. This is terrible.

  • Jabkmc

    OMG! Horrible, horrible.

  • bjames

    oh. my.

    this is beyond awful. definitely praying for that kid, and for that family.

  • jenniewdc

    This is tragic. To say the least, what a terrible shock this must be for Jennifer. My prayers go out to Jennifer — for herself, for her family and for the safe return of young Julian,,,,

  • http://www.myspace.com/gundomom CarieB

    I just heard this on the radio and couldn’t believe it. Terrible, terrible sad news. Me best thoughts and prayers for Jennifer and her family, and for the swift and safe return of her nephew.

  • kozisedso

    My heart goes out to Jennifer and her family. I am praying that her nephew Julian is found safe and unharmed. What a frightening world we live in.

  • Duke

    AOL posted 3 minutes ago

    http://www.popeater.com/article/jennifer-hudsons-mother-found-dead/225360?icid=100214839x1211686446x1200710095

    omg, this has to be unbelievable for jennifer- talk about going from an extreme high to an extreme low. so sick.

  • http://myspace.com/pm68 Pam

    This is just horrible. I really don’t have any words either. I can’t even imagine how much Jennifer must be hurting at this moment. My sympathy and prayers go out to her and her family and more than anything, I hope they find Julian safe and unharmed.

  • smartcookie

    It’s just so awful none of us know what to say. Unthinkable. We think that fame and success can shield people, but life isn’t like that. I always thought it was wonderful how close Jennifer was to her mom and her brother. I’m hoping the reports are wrong, even though I know in my heart they’re not. Losing your mom in any way is so, so, so hard. This way? Impossible.

  • Grammie Kari

    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 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 mom I’m just Jennifer, (so she says), ‘You get up and you take care of your own stuff.’ And I love that; I don’t like when people tell you everything you want to hear, I want to hear the truth, you know what I mean.”

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081024/ap_on_en_mu/chicago_bodies_hudson

    This is just heartbreaking. It was her mother who encouraged her to try out for American Idol. Right now, AI Rewind is featuring Season 3. This is such horrific news. Now both parents are deceased…

  • dreamr

    Wow. I don’t even know what to say. My thoughts and prayers are with Jennifer and the other members of her family. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to go through something like this. :(

  • sciencefan

    How terribly sad for Jennifer.
    My thoughts and prayers go out to them.

  • http://blog.syracuse.com/idolthoughts/ foxydonna

    I can’t even begin to imagine the pain this young woman will endure as the reality of this situation unfolds. I am so very sad, I can’t even begin to sort out my feelings. I feel as though this has happened to a friend. I only hope the little boy is returned unharmed and the guy who did this is caught, and fast.

  • s0x_prisoner

    Oh my god… that’s horrible. Who the heck would do something like that? I feel so sorry for Jennifer :(

  • proudmom

    Poor Jennifer. That is just awful! She’s in my prayers (her nephew too). Hopefully they’ll capture whomever did this before he hurts someone else. :sad_tb:

  • elle

    This world stinks.

  • waffle

    Life isn’t fair. I hope her fiancee, friends and other family are there to support her in what’s probably going to be her darkest days to come. She’ll be stronger for this. God has a plan.

  • houstonrufus

    Ugh. This makes me sick. Literally. How awful. No words seem appropriate. My prayers go out to Jennifer and her family.

  • hollygo9

    horrifying. I hope they find that little boy safe and soon. I just…I have no words.

  • http://www.myspace.com/jmomsblog J

    Here’s the AMBER ALERT

    I hope they find him tonight…safe and sound

  • hardkandy

    This is horrible news. My prayers are with Jennifer.

  • cruzceleste

    OMG I hope that both her sister and the little boy are ok…. this gets worst by the second…

  • Sarah34

    This is such horrible news :( I’m so sorry for Jennifer and her family.

  • cookcricket

    mj, may I say I’m sorry to you too since you have to report on such a horrible thing. Obviously you’re going to since this site covers this reality show.

    Of course the true victim(s) is/are Jennifer and her family, but what strikes me here is the fact that, as someone said earlier, these things happen every day. In the world of “reality” TV, one (self included) may not grasp ahold of what true reality is until something like this happens.

    Jennifer, once again, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. May God comfort you as only He knows how. This really is a tragedy.

  • Trina

    TMZ is reporting that the suspect was found and in custody but Julian wasn’t with him :(

  • Grammie Kari

    I hope he dropped Julian off at a relative’s house. Prayers continue for the family.