The mother and brother of Jennifer Hudson, one of America’s most celebrated singers, were found shot dead last night in their home in Chicago’s South Side — about five miles from the home of the presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Hudson, 27, is seen by millions as the embodiment of the American dream because she was rejected from the US television show American Idol —an offshoot of the British Pop Idol singing competition — but later went on to win an Oscar for her role in the hit 2006 musical Dreamgirls.
A supporter of Mr Obama, Hudson sang the national anthem at the Democratic Party’s convention in Denver in August on the night when Mr Obama accepted the presidential nomination.
Although the double murder case was still developing last night, police said that it was a domestic incident and that they were searching for a suspect along with a seven-year-old boy, who is possibly the nephew of Hudson. He was named as Julian King.
“A missing child was abducted from the scene and may be in the company of William Balfour, a suspect in the double homicide investigation,” the Chicago police said in a statement, adding that the suspect was “armed and dangerous”.
The boy was reported missing from the house where the victims were found. Local media reports named the victims as Darnell Donnerson, 57, and her son Jason Hudson, 29.