FBI joins search for Hudson's nephew

CHICAGO, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- The FBI has joined the search for the nephew of Jennifer Hudson, one day after the actress-singer's mother and brother were slain, Chicago police say.

The boy, identified as 7-year-old Julian King, has been missing since Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson, were discovered shot to death Friday in the South Side Chicago home owned by Hudson's mother, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Officials say the boy is the son of Julia Hudson, Jennifer Hudson's sister.

Police said the FBI was called in due to the possibility that the boy might have been taken across state lines, the Chicago Tribune reported Saturday. An FBI spokesman said the bureau can investigate the disappearance of any missing child, regardless of whether a child has been taken across a state line.

A suspect in the slayings, identified as William Balfour, has been taken into custody, the newspaper said. Balfour is identified as Julia Hudson's husband and stepfather to the missing boy. An alert issued Friday as police were searching for Balfour indicated Julian might be with him, but the boy was not found, sources said.

Police were looking for a white sport utility vehicle they believe Balfour could have driven from the Hudson home, several sources told the Sun-Times.

"I'm not going to let them put my son down," Balfour's mother, Michele Davis Balfour, told reporters. "My son had nothing to do with this … and I'm very upset with the police because they are refusing to let me see my son."