Jennifer Hudson Pictures: Jennifer Hudson attends the Let it Sparkle Swarovski Elements and Rodeo Drive Holiday Lighting Ceremony on November 21, 2011 in Beverly Hills, California.
CHICAGO — Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother were fatally shot Friday in Chicago, The Associated Press reports.
Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, was also reported as missing, with an Amber Alert issued for his whereabouts.
The bodies of Darnell Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, were found in the afternoon in a South Side home, with police suspecting the deaths were the result of a domestic dispute, AP says. A family member discovered the body of Hudson's mother on the living room floor. After alerting authorities, police found the body of Hudson's brother in a bedroom at the home.
"We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation concerning the deaths of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson," said Hudson's publicist, Lisa Kasteler, in a statement to AP. "No further comment will be made and the family has asked that their privacy be respected at this difficult time."
A man identified as William Balfour, 27, was taken into custody for questioning after the shootings, but he has yet to be charged, AP reports.
Police spokeswoman Monique Bond told AP that authorities are talking to "a number of people in custody" but she declined to further elaborate.
The 27-year-old Hudson first rose to fame on "American Idol." Last year, she won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in in the musical film "Dreamgirls."
Hudson, who recently got engaged to boyfriend David Otunga, is currently starring on the big screen in "The Secret Life of Bees."
