Dreamgirls actress Jennifer Hudson, arrived in Chicago early this evening. She was struck by tragic news that her beloved mother and brother were shot to death in a domestic dispute. Her nephew Julian King, considered a witness to the crime, was kidnapped from the murder scene. The Chicago police department has issued a nationwide amber alert for the child and he is thought to be held captive by William Balfour.

An arrest warrant has been issued for William Balfour, who is wanted for the murder of Darnelle Donnerson and Jason Hudson. Balfour an ex con, was recently released from prison after serving a 7 year sentence for attempted murder. He is the husband of Jennifer’s sister, Julia Hudson, and the step father of Julian King.

New York Daily News Reports:

Balfour, paroled after serving seven years for attempted murder, is thought to be driving a stolen Chrysler Concorde or Chevy Suburban with Illinois license plate X584859.

The romantic link between Balfour and Hudson’s older sister Julia, Julian’s mom, is evident on Julia’s MySpace page. In her profile, Julia, 31, listed her No. 1 best friend as her mom, her second as “William” and her third as Jennifer. She also said her mom is the person she most admires while “William” was “most likely” to get arrested.

A MySpace photo of William is endearingly titled “My William.” In his profile, Balfour wrote, “I like to live life and experience everything. That’s why I’m here seeing what it’s about. “I might as well let you all know that Jennifer Hudson is my wife’s sister. I’m proud of her and wish her nothing but the best in what she do, but don’t hit me up asking about her…”

Hudson, who lost her dad when she was a teen, often credits her close-knit family for keeping her grounded. “My family, they’re very realistic and normal. They’re not into the whole limelight kind of thing, so when I go home to Chicago, that’s just another place that’s home,” she said in a recent interview.

UPDATE – 1:00 am EST:

The man suspected in the shooting deaths of the mother and brother of Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Hudson is in custody, although the whereabouts of Hudson’s young nephew were still unknown, law enforcement sources told the Chicago Sun-Times.

William Balfour was arrested about five hours after Hudson’s mother, Darnell Donerson; and brother, Jason Hudson; were found slain inside a South Side home Friday.

Balfour is involved in a relationship with a Hudson family member and once lived in Donerson’s home, sources told the Sun-Times. Still missing is Donerson’s grandson, 7-year-old Julian King, who went missing after the slayings, possibly taken from the house in the Englewood neighborhood, Chicago police said.

Balfour was not co-operating with investigators and was not disclosing the whereabouts of the seven-year-old boy, FOX News reported.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.