Jennifer Hudson with mom (Photo: CBS2.com)
By Alan King
AFRO Staff Writer
(October 26, 2008) – Actress Jennifer Hudson on Sunday asked for the public’s help in finding her 7-year-old nephew, who has been missing since her mother and brother were found shot to death in her mother’s Chicago home.
Julian King (Photo: Jennifer Hudson’s MySpace Blog)
In her MySpace blog entry, Hudson, who won a 2007 Academy Award for her role in “Dreamgirls,” said: “Thank you all for your prayers and 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…Once again thank you all for being there for us through this tough time.”
Julian King – the son of Julia Hudson, Jennifer’s sister – has been missing since Friday, when a relative found Julian’s grandmother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and his uncle, Jason Hudson, 29, shot to death in his grandmother’s living room.
An Amber Alert – a designation for high-risk missing children -- was issued Friday after Julian was discovered missing after the murders. He is described as 4-foot-11 and weighing 130 pounds. Anyone with information about the boy should contact detectives in Chicago’s Wentworth division at (312) 747-8380.
On Sunday, the family offered a $100,000 reward for the safe return of Julian King. The family issued a statement Sunday saying, “Jennifer and her family appreciate the enormous amount of love, support and prayers they have received while she and her family try to cope with this tragedy and continue the search for Julian."
According to Chicago police, the FBI has been asked to help in the search because Julian might have been taken across state lines. Authorities are looking for a white, 1994 Chevrolet Suburban with Illinois license plate X584859 that belonged to the male murder victim.
See the video:
Police arrested William Balfour, the missing boy’s stepfather and estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson’s sister, Julia, at his Southside apartment several hours after the murders. Balfour’s mother, Michele, has told reporters that her son had nothing to do with the slayings.
Suspect William Balfour (Photo: TMZ.com)
Balfour remains a suspect in the murders but is being held in jail for parole violation after being convicted of attempted murder and vehicular hijacking. Cook County records show that he pleaded guilty to both charges in 1999. He was also convicted in 1998 for possession of a stolen motor vehicle. He was released from prison in 2006 after serving seven years for the attempted murder and car hijacking charges.
At a news conference with the missing boy’s father, Greg King, Julia pleaded to her son’s abductor: “Let my baby go.”