Adrian Peterson's Son Dies After Mom's Boyfriend Attacks Him

UPDATE: 10/12/2013, 7:28 PM EST

Various media reports initially and incorrectly claimed that Adrian Peterson‘s son, Adrian Peterson, Jr., was the child who was killed. In fact, it was Adrian’s son, identified as Ty Doohen, with Ashley Ann Doohen, 29, who was slain.

————————————————————————————————————————————-

UPDATE: 10/11/13, 6:35 EST:

Adrian Peterson just sent out a series of tweets thanking everyone for their support.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Adrian Peterson‘s son died today in a Sioux Falls, S.D., hospital allegedly as a result of an assault carried by a man dating the boy’s mother, KSTP 5 reports.

Sioux Falls police have arrested 27-year-old Joseph Patterson. Initially when the boy was hospitalized Wednesday, Patterson was charged with assault and battery of an infant. It’s almost certain that those charges will be elevated to murder.

Peterson met with the media hours before the boy died to speak on the matter, according to USA Today.

“I really appreciate all the support that I’ve been receiving from fans, the Vikings organization,” said Peterson, who was excused to miss Thursday’s Vikings practice before returning Friday. “This is a private matter and I would ask you all to please just respect my privacy and not ask at all about the situation at hand.”

The circumstances behind the boy’s beating are still unclear, but paramedics responding to a medical emergency Wednesday night say the boy was unresponsive when they arrived.

Sources tell TMZ that Peterson was notified of his son’s death before the news went public.