Jennifer Hudson's mother and brother murdered

A publicist for Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson says Chicago police are investigating the deaths of the actress’ mother and brother, who were found shot dead at their home.

Lisa Kasteler said that no further comment would be made about the deaths of Darnell Donerson and Jason Hudson.

Police spokeswoman Monique Bond says the deaths appear to be the result of domestic abuse.

She says investigators are also looking for a missing child who is Donerson’s grandson. Police say the boy, Julian King, is accompanied by a man who is “considered armed and dangerous”.

Public records show the address in Chicago's south side listed to a Jennifer Hudson and Darnell Donerson, the name of the singer's mother.

The suspect and the child could be in a teal or green Chrysler Concord with a temporary licence plate, a left front headlight hanging out and scratches on the left side of the vehicle, police said.

The tragedy comes as Hudson, who grew up in Chicago, continues to reach new heights in her career.

Her song 'Spotlight' is number one on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts and her recently released, self-titled album debut has been a top seller.

She was featured in this year’s blockbuster 'Sex and the City' and is also starring in hit movie 'The Secret Life of Bees'.

She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in 'Dreamgirls'.

In an interview last year with Vogue, Hudson credited her mother with encouraging her to audition for 'American Idol', which launched her career.

The singer, whose father died when she was a teenager, described herself as very close to her family.

In a recent interview she said her family, which included older siblings Julia and Jason, helped keep her grounded.

“My faith in God and my family, they’re very realistic and very 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.

“I stand in line with everybody else, or, when I go home to my mom I’m just Jennifer, (so she says): ’You get up and you take care of your own stuff.’ And I love that; I don’t like when people tell you everything you want to hear, I want to hear the truth, you know what I mean.”