Warning: This article contains allegations of child abuse which may be distressing for some readers.
Logan Gifford is seeking to uncover the identity of his brother’s biological father.
He alleges that he was a victim of sexual abuse by his mother, Doreene Gifford, starting at the age of 10.
Doreene was not convicted until 2015 for attempted sexual assault, incest, and lewdness with a child under 14.
Doreene has consistently claimed her innocence. She entered an Alford Plea, a legal move where a defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges the prosecution’s strong evidence. This plea avoided a trial, resulting in a sentence of eight to 20 years in prison for Doreene.
She is currently serving her sentence on parole.
Doreene is not only Logan’s mother but also the mother of Logan’s 15-year-old brother, who has disabilities. Logan is currently seeking legal custody of his brother.
Considering the age of his brother and the period during which Logan suffered abuse by his mother, questions arise about whether Logan might actually be his brother’s biological father.
Logan is determined to uncover the truth, although the recent DNA results were inconclusive, showing a 99.9 percent match with both Logan and his father, Theodore Gifford.
Logan has opened up to UNILAD about the challenges he’s facing and what initially led him to question if his brother was actually his son.
He shared: “When my brother was born in 2009, he immediately had post-birth issues. He was stuck in my mother’s canal for three days, had a massive speech impediment, and his brain was deprived of oxygen during the birthing process as well.
“My mother was sexually abusing me during this time frame and was knowingly cheating on my father.”
Logan further explained: “Doreene, my mother, was under the impression at the time that the child in question was not Ted’s and fully intended to divorce him and run away with this new child to start a new life.
“Eventually, after growing up with the kid for a couple of years, we all started seeing this one therapist in Las Vegas.
“This therapist was seeing a majority of my family members. In a private session with me, the therapist had asked me directly if there was any possibility that my brother could be my son.”
Logan mentioned that the therapist had also been working with his brother and had observed the development of his sibling’s disabilities over time.
Considering the therapist’s expertise, Logan felt it was “wrong” to ignore the possibility that his sibling could be his son.
“In my opinion, [our therapist] was the only other person who was trying to look out for my brother,” he said.
“I know it must not have been easy for my therapist to ask me that, but that’s really when I realized that there could have been this possibility.”
At the time of this revelation, Logan, now 26, had not yet graduated from high school.
If you have been affected by any of the issues discussed in this article, you can reach out to The National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Support is also available via online chat at online.rainn.org.