The sad, shocking story that unfolded over the weekend involving the family of Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson just took an even more horrifying turn. The body of a little boy was found matching the description of Julian King, Hudson’s seven-year-old nephew who was reported missing in the wake of the shooting death of Jennifer’s mother and brother. It is thought that they were murdered by her estranged brother-in-law, William Balfour, who is now in police custody. The body of a little boy was discovered in a white SUV in a Chicago neighborhood early this morning.
The body of a male child was found Monday morning in a white Suburban on the West Side, and authorities were investigating whether it was Julian King, the 7-year-old nephew of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson.
Officials from the Medical Examiner’s Office were notified after the body of a black male child was found in an SUV that had been missing since Hudson’s mother and brother were found dead Friday.
Julian was missing when the bodies of Hudson’s mother and brother were found shot to death in their home in the 7000 block of South Yale Avenue.
The shooting is believed to be domestic-related. Neighbors said they heard gunshots between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Friday morning, authorities said.
A family member found the bodies. The mother was found on the living room floor; the brother was found in a bedroom. The crime didn’t appear to be a robbery, police said, and the door to the home was not locked when the family member arrived.
After the two bodies were found, missing from the crime scene was Donerson’s grandson, 7-year-old Julian, who was possibly taken from the house in the Englewood neighborhood, Chicago police said. He was in a white 1994 Chevrolet Suburban SUV with Illinois license plate X584859, police said.
Poor Jennifer has already had to identify the bodies of her mother and brother, as well as provide emotional support to her older sister, the mother of the missing boy. This entire ordeal is just a nightmare. I cannot even imagine going through this. Jennifer has been quoted many times on how close she is with her family – particularly her mother. In her Academy Award acceptance speech, she called them out, saying “But I’m so grateful to have my mother here celebrating with me. My boyfriend, my sisters and my brothers back home and I’ve got two of them here.” I had a bad feeling when the brother-in-law was taken into custody and there was still no sign of the boy that something terrible had happened to him. Deepest condolences go out to Jennifer and her family today.
Photos are of the memorial in front of the victims’ house and an undated photo of Julian. Credit: Fame and Chicago Tribune
How terribly sad. My deepest condolences go out to the family. May the prayers of those who love them help to heal the pain in their hearts.
oh man…. i think the world was hoping it wasn’t going to end like this…
my thoughts are with the family during this horrible unimaginable tragedy that has only just begun.
This is incredibly sad. What the eff is wrong with people. He was just a child.
Given the circumstances of the case, it didn’t seem very likely he would be found alive. What a terrible thing. I echo Randy Jackson’s comments about the ugliness of the world we live in right now.
Just the saddest. Condolances and prayers to his poor mother and remaining family.
how does one emotionally and mentally survive something like this? so unbelievably terrible. hope they’re getting all the support they can right now… really, there are no words.
Oh God! I was really praying he’d be safe. My thoughts are with the family right now. I couldnt even imagine.
This is so incredibly sad. I hope Jennifer can rise above this tragedy. It can be done by the way. Some people are incredibly resilient.
This is the most terrible story….no one should have to have something like that happen to them :”'(
This is truly awful! What type of person can hurt a little boy! Im not a fan of Jennifer’s but this is just heartbreaking. My heart goes out to the family. 😥
😥
God bless them. She was on top of the world. God bless them.
why?
This is so tragic. Such an innocent little boy, such a horrible loss.
That is so unbelievably sad. 🙁
Absolutely tragic. My deepest condolences.
There aren’t words to adequately describe how horrible this is. Just awful. My thoughts and condolences remain with Jennifer and her family.
Even though it did look grim for finding Julian, we all hoped and prayed it would not end like this. And even if the body isn’t his, that’s another child killed and missing from this Earth. What an awful, awful mess.
My deepest, most heartfelt condolences to Jennifer and her sister. No mother should have to survive her child and especially not under such gruesome circumstances.
Hopefully they will find the light that is at the end of every tunnel and one day be able to live with this loss.
Isabel Allende once wrote, in her book for and about her dying daughter “Paula” that she felt like: “hay un largo túnel al qual no le veo salida, pero se que debe haberla”. “There’s a long tunnel whose exit I can’t see, but I know it has to be there”.
Why do women insist on have a violent , criminal ex con as a partner?It makes me mad that they hook up with men like this!!!Im separated and my daughter is the most important person in my life,so before i bring someone to my life i will see it’s for her best interest.This is too sad and hopefully it opens womens eyes around the world about domestic abuse.
Why, why, WHY would anyone kill a child? HOW could anyone kill a child????
I’m just sick about this.
What a devastating, heart-wrenching tragedy. My prayers are with the family as they try to heal, somehow.
I was debating whether or not to bring this up, but the pricks over at Yeeeah.com actually made fun of Julia Hudson’s appearance while reporting this horrible tragedy. While I suppose flooding their site with negative feedback might ultimately benefit them in terms of site traffic, maybe we can at least encourage others to boycott Yeeeah.com in the future.
Reports are coming in that Jennifer Hudson has positively identified the body as little Julian 🙁
http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20235998,00.html
Again my deepest condolences and sympathies to the Hudson family. I can’t imagine what they are going through right now. This is truly heartbreaking, and I hope that whomever is responsible for this tragedy gets what’s coming to him. Childkillers are the bottom rung of society, and I hope his suffering is limitless.
I read the link A.J., thanks for providing it. All I can say is that I’m just disgusted and saddened by all of this. What kind of monsters exist in this world?!
oh lawds sake, the news confirmed the body was Julian. How horrible! I can’t imagine what Jennifer is going through to have like her whole family gone like that! Goodness, one can’t take life for granted anymore, and even a child’s life is at risk. So sad. So fricking sad. 🙁
R.I.P. to all of the victims in this tragedy and my heart goes out to the surviving family members. 😥
It’s so sad to think that horrible things like this happen every minute of every day. What kind of monsters are walking around out there? Some of them could be people you see every day. You never know. Sometimes I just want to crawl under a rock and never come back out. 🙁
sol, you hit the nail on the head.
The saddest part of all, folks, is that this happens too often in Chicago. Not only domestic violence, but kids who are hit by stray bullets. The Field Museum recently had an exhibit where local schools decorated chairs in honor of their lost friends. I don’t want to tell you how many chairs were there. My heart goes out to Jennifer and so many others. I wish we could take the nonviolent example of Dr. Martin Luther King and make his holiday not just a remembrance, but a gun moratorium day. Maybe folks could remember him by leaving their guns and their angry thoughts at home, for just one day. That would be the start. The next step would be to get rid of the guns for good. And to spend health research dollars on how to help people manage the anger that comes from living in this society. I am a physician and a mother of 3. I have patients who have been orphaned by violence. I have other patients who have lost their children to violent ends. TOO MANY KIDS HAVE DIED LIKE THIS.
We don’t have to worry about this in Australia, our politicians had the balls to get rid of the guns. It’s surpising how safe it feels. It also makes a scenario like this feel all the more preventable, to a point. My heart goes out to a mother who has lost her baby, and an aunty who has lost most of her family. There are no words.
This is so incredibly sad. I will never, ever understand how anyone can bare to hurt a child.
I’m not a religious person, but I sure hope the three of them are reunited at a better place and that the Hudson sisters will be able to carry each other through all that grief.
In the wake of such a tragedy the question we often ask is “Why?”, but only God knows the answer, and with our faith we must trust and believe that though everything seems to be out of control…He is still in control. My heart as well as my prayers goes out to Ms. Hudson and her family, may God keep you,protect you and comfort you during your time of grievance.
I pray that the Lord will console them and heal them. I pray that this family will one day forgive this man and not allow this tragedy to be the determining factor in their lives. I pray that as a society we take this tragedy and make it a turning point in gun control, domestic violence and child abuse. That these peoples lives and deaths make a difference.
My heart and prayers goes out to Jennifer and her family. Nothing can replace family lost to the hands of this monster, but God will comfort you every second of the day to see you through.
My deepest sympathy
I pray for those who are left behind after this massacre. May God provide his presence as a balm in your fresh wounds that will take a long time to heal. May your loved ones resrt in peace in the Lord’s loving hands.