Jennifer Hudson in hiding

Jennifer Hudson has reportedly gone into hiding.

The Oscar-winning actress – who has been left devastated by the fatal shootings of her mother, brother and nephew – is so worried about her own safety she is refusing to leave the undisclosed hotel where she is being protected by bodyguards.

US blogger Liz Crokin alleges: "I can't disclose where Jennifer is staying - I can just tell you it's a hotel. She has bodyguards and the hotel she's staying at has a great security team. She only left to go to the medical examiner's office on Sunday night (26.10.08)."

Jennifer's brother-in-law William Balfour, the estranged husband of her sister Julia, has been named by police as the "person of interest" in the case, while other sources admit he is the chief suspect.

The 27-year-old is being held by police on charges of parole violation, and is also being questioned regarding the triple homicide.

Meanwhile, police found a handgun in an abandoned Chicago car park yesterday (29.10.08), which they believe was used in all three shootings.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper, officers discovered the weapon less than a block away from where they found the body of Jennifer's seven-year-old son Julian King in the back of a white SUV (sports utility vehicle).