The 7-year-old nephew of Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson was found dead in the back of a sport utility vehicle Oct. 27, ending a frantic search that began after the shooting deaths of her mother and brother three days earlier.

Jennifer Hudson AP PHOTO

The singer and actress was among seven family members and close friends who cried and held hands as they identified Julian King's body from a live image on a television screen at the Cook County Medical Examiner's office in the afternoon of Oct. 27.

Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the boy, like his grandmother and uncle, had been shot. The medical examiner's office planned an autopsy Oct. 28.

Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis said a motive remained unclear Oct. 27 but added, "It wasn't a case of a stranger-type homicide."

Police have characterized the slayings as "domestic related" and authorities have been questioning the boy's estranged stepfather, who is being held in state custody on a parole violation. No one has been charged in the slayings.