William Balfour, a suspect in the murders of Jennifer Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, was taken into police custody on Friday, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
Balfour, said to be the estranged husband of Jennifer’s sister, Julia, reportedly remains in custody today. Missing child Julian King, his step-son and Jennifer’s nephew, was not found with the suspect.
“The 7-year-old is still the subject of an active Amber Alert,” a spokesman for the Chicago police department told Access Hollywood on Saturday.
According to the Sun-Times, Police Supt. Jody Weis said the FBI has been called in to help search for the boy.
“When a certain amount of time passes, that’s why we would reach out to the FBI,” Weis was quoted as saying in the Sun-Times, noting that enough time has passed for Julian to have potentially been taken across state lines. “We’re going to use any resource we can to solve it.”
FBI spokesman Ross Rice confirmed to the Chicago Tribune on Saturday that the FBI has been called in to help with the search. And the Tribune reported on Saturday that community leaders have called for volunteers to assist in the search as well.
“We want a posse of men and women and religious leaders to help find that child before sundown,” Ziff Sistrunk, a local community activist, reportedly told the Tribune.
Police issued an alert on Friday looking for a 1994 white Chevrolet Suburban, which they believed may have contained Balfour and the boy. According to the Chicago Tribune, the vehicle is registered to Jason Hudson, Jennifer’s brother; as of Saturday afternoon, police are reportedly continuing the search for it.
Balfour has reportedly been married to Julia for two years, living at the family home on Yale Avenue. Access confirmed on Friday that Balfour resided at Darnell Donerson’s home in 2007. But the couple reportedly separated recently and were planning on divorce.
On what appears to be his MySpace page, Balfour notes that he is married and mentions his connection to the “Dreamgirls” Oscar winner.
“I might as well let you all know that Jennifer Hudson is my wife’s sister,” he wrote. “I’m proud of her and wish her nothing but the best in what she do.”
According to CNN, Balfour has been on parole since 2006, following close to seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.
Balfour’s mother, Michele Davis Balfour, denied his involvement in the double homicide.
“I’m not going to let them put my son down,” she told reporters at the police station on Friday, according to the Sun-Times. “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.”
A spokesman for the Chicago police department told Access that suspects were being questioned, but could not confirm their identities.
“Detectives have and continue to speak with several individuals,” he said.
Police told Access on Friday the victims were discovered at around 3 PM local time.The deaths were ruled as homicides by multiple gunshot wounds on Saturday, a spokeswoman for the Cook County medical examiner’s office told the Tribune. The newspaper also reported that Jennifer visited the office overnight with other family members in order to identify the bodies of her mother and brother.
Jennifer Hudson is a singer and actress who won an Academy Award for her role as Effie in “Dreamgirls,” and recently released her debut album. She was a finalist on the third season of “American Idol.”
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