Warning: This article contains allegations of child abuse, which may be distressing to some readers.
A man who alleged that his mother began sexually abusing him when he was 10 years old has finally discovered whether he is the biological father of his younger brother.
Logan Gifford, from Las Vegas, has been responsible for the care of his younger brother since their mother, Doreene Gifford, received a prison sentence ranging from eight to 20 years. She was convicted in 2015 for attempted sexual assault, incest, and lewdness with a child under 14, with Logan being the victim.
Despite her conviction, Doreene maintained her innocence by entering an Alford plea, acknowledging the strength of the evidence against her while not admitting guilt.
At 26, Logan successfully fought for and obtained legal custody of his 15-year-old brother.
On August 2, Logan updated on his GoFundMe page that he had secured ‘temporary sole physical and legal custody,’ but he sought further answers.
He questioned if he was his brother’s biological father due to the timeline of his abuse and the birth of his brother.
The initial DNA test results were inconclusive, showing a 99.9 percent match with both Logan and his father.
In a surprising update, Logan has now been legally recognized as his brother’s father.
This decision followed a ruling by a family court judge on Wednesday, 24 September, affirming Logan as the rightful parent.
Judge Vincent Ochoa explained, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “The DNA test conducted does not have a final determination as to one of the two.
“I can’t make (Theodore) the father if he doesn’t want to participate (in the case).”
The judge noted that Logan’s father did not wish to participate, making Logan the logical choice.
Ochoa added, “I’m going to grant the default and declare Logan Gifford to be the legal father of the child. This is the only solution we have. The DNA test was done and eliminated everyone except for two individuals, and only one of those individuals wants to participate in this case.”
For Logan, this decision enables him to care for and protect his brother, offering him a sense of closure regarding his own abuse.
He expressed to the outlet, “Clearly, we got the answer that we were anticipating. Finally, there was closure, not only for me, as a male survivor, but also closure for someone who didn’t ask for any of this. This is meaningful to him. I didn’t want this to necessarily be made public, but it took that to get to this point.”
Doreene Gifford, Logan’s mother, was paroled in 2024 but was arrested in January for violating her parole by contacting her victim.
She appeared via video at a 10-minute hearing, insisting that her ex-husband, Theodore Gifford, was the teen’s real father, before ultimately conceding due to the emotional strain of the proceedings.
“I never had any doubt that Theodore was the father, but I cannot continue this case, mentally, physically or emotionally,” Gifford said. “I feel that it’s best that we just concede this case and stop this madness now.”
The judge, who had previously granted Logan temporary custody of the teen, suggested further testing. However, Logan’s attorney, Timothy Treffinger, indicated that additional testing would be costly and might not yield more conclusive results, as reported by the Independent.