Hudson family offers $100,000 reward

Jennifer Hudson's family has put up a $100,000 (£65,000) reward for the safe return of her seven-year-old nephew.

Julian King has been missing since Hudson's mother and brother were shot dead in Chicago on Friday.

The bodies of 57-year-old Darnell Donerson and 29-year-old Jason Hudson were discovered at Donerson's home in the city's South Side. FBI officers have joined the search for the missing youngster, who is known by the names Juice Box and Dr. King.

Hudson thanked fans for their calls and prayers on her MySpace page. Her post reads: "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."

A further statement from the family announced the reward and said they "appreciate the enormous amount of love, support and prayers they have received".

The boy's stepfather, William Balfour, 27, was taken into custody for questioning after being named in a police alert regarding the child's disappearance.

He was transferred to the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDC) on Sunday for a parole violation which Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said was "unrelated to this investigation".