Police find boy's body in Hudson triple murder case (Roundup)

Oct 28, 2008, 1:18 GMT

Los Angeles - The body of a boy believed to be the missing nephew of singer-actress Jennifer Hudson was discovered Monday, three days after Hudson's mother and brother were found shot to death in their Chicago home.

The boy, Julian King, 7, had not been seen since the discovery of Darnell Hudson Donerson, 57, and Jason Hudson, 29, by a family member Friday.

Police did not officially identify the dead child, but they did call off an alert that had been issued to find him.

At a press conference in Washington, FBI Deputy Director John Pistole said: '(The body is) who we believe to be the missing victim in Chicago, the nephew of Jennifer Hudson. We are working with Chicago police to get a positive identification of the victim.'

According to celebrity news website TMZ.com, Hudson was identifying the body Monday afternoon at the Chicago Medical Examiner's office.

The body was found in the rear seat of a white sports utility vehicle registered to Hudson's deceased brother Jason, Chicago police said. The boy had suffered a gunshot to the back of the head.

Police have taken into custody William Balfour, the estranged husband of Hudson's sister Julia but have yet to name him as a suspect in the slayings.

Hudson had offered a 100,000-dollar reward over the weekend for information leading to the missing boy.

Police believe the three were slain in a family argument.

Hudson sang the US national anthem in August at the Democratic presidential nominating convention in Denver, Colorado. Democratic nominee Barack Obama and wife Michelle, who live in Chicago, have sent her condolences.

Just weeks ago, the singer, who became famous on the singing talent competition American Idol, released her self-titled debut album. She won an Academy Award in 2007 for her role in Dreamgirls.