Adrian Peterson's Son

Adrian Peterson's 2-year-old son was beaten to death allegedly by Joseph Robert Patterson, the boyfriend of the toddler's mother.

From the New York Daily News:

The 2-year-old son of Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson died Friday of injuries suffered when he was beaten two days earlier, allegedly by his mother’s boyfriend.

The child died in a hospital in Sioux Falls, S.D., about 11:43 a.m. He had been hospitalized in critical condition with head injuries since arriving by ambulance on Wednesday night. The child’s name was not released.

The tot was apparently a “secret” child, according to media reports. Peterson was not sure the child was his until recently.

Peterson, who is not married, has another son about the same age named Adrian Peterson Jr., and a daughter, Adeja, with a different woman.

The boyfriend of the child’s mother, Joseph Robert Patterson, 27, who has a history of domestic incidents, called 911 about 5:45 Wednesday to report the child was choking in his apartment, where he had been caring for the boy, authorities said. The child was unresponsive when Sioux Falls Police and EMS arrived.

Patterson was arrested because the child had injuries that were determined to be consistent with abuse, police said.

...Patterson was jailed in lieu of $750,000 bail at a hearing on Friday morning. [South Dakota State’s Attorney Thomas] Wollman said he expects a grand jury to return an indictment before Patterson’s next court date, Oct. 23.

Wollman’s office filed motions Friday that ordered Patterson to serve year-long sentences in two prior domestic violence cases in which sentence had been suspended.

So, Patterson was a known to engage in domestic violence.

Obviously, the system failed to protect this innocent little one from that monster.

His mother, someone Peterson knew at least long enough for conception to occur, didn't protect him either.

According to this report, Peterson didn't know the 2-year-old boy was his child until recently. (I wonder what "recently" means.)

TMZ reports:

Adrian Peterson only recently learned he was the father of a 2-year-old boy in South Dakota ... and met him for the first time Thursday ... while the boy was on life support, TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources connected to the situation tell us ... roughly 2-3 months ago, the mother of the child had a paternity test done with an ex she suspected to be the father, in an effort to collect child support from him.

But the test turned up negative, so the woman went to Adrian ... with whom she had a sexual encounter several years ago.

Since Peterson didn't play a role in his son's life, he probably didn't know his son was at risk of being beaten to death.

Peterson fathered the murdered child but he wasn't the little guy's parent.

He had a 2-year-old son and he didn't know him. The little boy never met his daddy. Peterson didn't meet his child until seeing him in the hospital, while the child was on life support.

It's so sad.

Once upon a time, a man and woman fell in love, married, had children, and raised them. They maybe didn't live happily ever after, but they knew each other.
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UPDATE:

Adrian Peterson's 2nd "Secret Child"

He's Fathered 7 Kids ... Not 5