Fact Check

Adrian Peterson

The 2-year-old son of NFL star Adrian Peterson has died as the result of an apparent beating.

Published Oct. 13, 2013

Claim:

Claim:   The 2-year-old son of NFL star Adrian Peterson has died as the result of an apparent beating.


TRUE


Example:   [Collected via e-mail, October 2013]


I saw this on Facebook. Is this true?

Sad news! NFL star Adrian Peterson's son has died as a result of
a beating he took from a man the boy's mother was dating, local police
report.

This is a horrible story. Please send prayers to #AdrianPeterson. The whole world just collapsed on this man...


 

Origins:   On 11 October 2013, the 2-year-old son of Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson died on in a Sioux Falls, S.D., hospital, reportedly from severe head injuries he suffered as the result of a beating:



The incident occurred in Joseph Patterson's apartment, where the boy had recently moved with his mother. Patterson called 911 on [the evening of 9 October] to report a choking at the apartment, but Lt. Blaine Larsen of the Sioux Falls Police Department

said it became clear at the hospital that the boy's injuries were not accidental.

"As officers and first responders got there, they found child was unresponsive and he was taken to the hospital," police spokesman Sam Clemens said. "So they ended up calling police about that or letting them know. We had detectives talk to quite a few people to try to figure out what happened. What they ended up finding was that when the injuries happened there was one person with that child, and that person was Joseph Patterson."

"The injuries they found were head injuries," Clemens said. "It was obvious to medical staff that abuse had taken place and that those injuries weren't accidental."

Clemens said police believe the child's mother was "gone for a short time, and that's when we believe the injury occurred."


Joseph Patterson, the boyfriend of the child's mother, has been arrested and charged with two felonies in connect with the child's death:



At the time of the incident, the child was under the care of a 27-year-old male at that address, and no one else was home. While at the hospital, and during treatment, it was learned the child had sustained bodily injuries not considered to be accidental and consistent with abuse. The male caregiver is the boyfriend of the child’s mother, and he was identified as: Patterson, Joseph Robert, 27, and the South Connie Avenue address is his home. Patterson was subsequently arrested and charged with two felonies as a result of the investigation. Those charges are: Aggravated battery of an infant and aggravated assault, both of which will be handled by the Lincoln County States Attorney Office, as this occurred in Lincoln County.

Last updated:   13 October 2013

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