Chicago police have confirmed that a body found in an SUV is that of Jennifer Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, who had been missing since Friday after the Oscar winner's mother and brother were found shot to death in their home.
Police spokeswoman Monique Bond says the boy also had been shot.
The vehicle was discovered about 40 blocks from the first crime scene, the Hudson family's home. A citizen called in a tip about the SUV Monday morning, police said.
The SUV taken away on a flatbed truck that was escorted by the police. The AP reported that television footage showed that the body of the boy was still inside the vehicle when it was taken away.
Julian, the son of Hudson's sister Julia, had not been seen since a family member found the bodies of Hudson's mother and brother in their Chicago home on Friday afternoon. That's when Darnell Donerson, 57, was discovered on her living room floor while Jason Hudson, 29, was found shot in the bedroom, police said.
Police had issued an Amber Alert for the boy after the murders were discovered. Hudson later offered a $100,000 reward for Julian's safe return and, over the weekend, community members took to the streets to look for him.
"I can't overestimate the heartfelt emotion that's part of a search like that. Jennifer Hudson really is a daughter of Chicago ... her successes were something that people took very much as their own," Ravi Baichwal, a news anchor at ABC's Chicago affiliate, told Â鶹´«Ã½net.
However, over the weekend, police temporarily held Julia Hudson's former partner, 27-year-old William Balfour, before transferring him to Illinois' corrections department.
He remains in custody because of his "active parole violation unrelated to this (double homicide) investigation," Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said on Sunday.
Corrections department spokeswoman Januari Smith said the Illinois Prisoner Review Board will look at Balfour's case. She added that he would likely remain in custody until the review.
Michelle Balfour, the man's mother, said he had been married for several years to Hudson's sister Julia, but they had separated. She also said Donerson had ordered him to move out of the family's home last winter.
Illinois Department of Corrections documents, obtained by AP, show that Balfour spent about seven years in jail for attempted murder and other charges.
Jennifer Hudson rocketed to stardom four years ago as a finalist on American Idol. Two years later she won an Oscar for her performance in the film "Dreamgirls."
