Jennifer Hudson's mom, brother dead

CHICAGO, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- The mother and brother of Oscar-winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson were found shot to death in Chicago Friday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Hudson, a former "American Idol" contestant, is best known for her roles in the movie musical "Dreamgirls," the film version of "Sex and the City" and the current release "The Secret Life of Bees." She recently released her first solo album.

The bodies, discovered Friday afternoon in Hudson's mother's South Side home, have not been officially identified, the newspaper said. The home belongs to Hudson's mother, Darnell Donnerson.

Neighbors reported hearing gunshots between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Friday, the newspaper said.

Julian King, the 7-year-old grandson of Hudson's mother, was reported missing. Police said he was taken from a house in Chicago in a white 1994 Chevrolet Suburban sport utility vehicle that records indicate is registered to Hudson's brother.

Police said the boy might be with William Balfour, who they identified as a suspect in the deaths, the Sun-Times said. Balfour, 27, was paroled in 2006 after serving time for a variety of convictions including attempted murder and vehicular hijacking.

The New York Daily News said Balfour calls Hudson's older sister Julia his "wife" and the boy his stepson on his MySpace page.

TMZ described Julia Hudson as Julian's mother and reported that her employer said she worked her shift as a bus driver Friday, but hasn't been seen since.

"Officers responded to a call of two people found unresponsive," Chicago Police Department spokesman John Mirabelli told Usmagazine.com. "They discovered a male and a female that had sustained fatal gunshot wounds. Right now, our investigation is a double homicide. We understand family members are on the scene."