Tragedy Strikes Jennifer Hudson

Friday afternoon, the mother and brother of Oscar-winner/songstress Jennifer Hudson were both fatally shot in Chicago and her 7-year-old nephew Julian went missing. In custody is William Balfour (sister Julia's estranged husband), stepdad to little Julian. No charges have been filed as of yet.

Hudson left a message for her fans on her MySpace page this weekend:

"Thank you all for your prayers and your calls … Please keep praying for our family and that we get Julian King back home safely. If anyone has any information about his whereabouts please contact the authorities immediately. Here is a picture of Julian and what he was last seen wearing. Once again thank you all for being there for us through this tough time."

Update: Sadly, this morning, Julian's body was found in the rear seat of the SUV investigators had been searching for.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jennifer and her family during this most horrific time.