Academy Award Winner and former American Idol contestant, Jennifer Hudson’s mother and brother were found dead in their home earlier today, in Chicago. A family member discovered the bodies at the family’s home in the South Side. Her mother was found on the living room floor, while the brother was found in the bedroom; both suffered gunshot wounds.

Police report that no forced entry occurred, and that the suspect (William Balfour) may have had a domestic dispute with his former girlfriend, the singer’s sister (Julia). TMZ.com brought light to the sister’s MySpace page, on which a photo comment suggested that the aforementioned dispute may have been over a car. According to the Illinois Department of Corrections, Balfour is on 7 years parole after serving time for an attempted murder charge.

An amber alert was issued this evening for the son of Hudson’s sister, 7 year old Julian King. He is believed to have been taken from the scene by the suspect. The child’s mother has not been heard from since serving her shift today, during her city Bus driving job.

In the past, Hudson has acknowledged her mother as the reason she decided to audition for American idol, which was the first gigantic step towards her superstar life that some see as a real-life Cinderella story.

Hudson’s self-titled debut album had reached the #2 position on the Billboard Hot 200 earlier this month. However, through this hard time, hopefully Hudson can show that she is as resilient as she is talented.