Las Vegas Man, 26, May Be Younger Brother's Father After He Was Raped by His Mother at 10

A Las Vegas man who says his mother raped him as a child has been declared the legal father of his 16-year-old brother.

Logan Gifford, 26, told a Nevada court that years of abuse beginning when he was 10 left him convinced his sibling could also be his son. A paternity case has now confirmed him as the boy's legal father after the judge ruled that no other resolution was possible.

His mother, Doreene Gifford, was convicted of raping him in 2015, leading to a sentence of 8 to 20 years in prison.

About Logan Gifford's Case

Logan first went to authorities at 16, reporting that his mother, Doreene Gifford, had sexually abused him since he was just 10. Even then, he came to believe that his younger brother is possibly his biological son.

He believed that he was conceived around the latter part of his years of abuse. A decade later, he filed a paternity case asking a judge for an advanced DNA test to determine the answer.

The results showed that Logan and his father, Theodore Gifford, shared a 99.9% match to his disabled sibling.

As per Family Court Judge Vincent Ochoa, 'The DNA test conducted does not have a final determination as to one of the two'.

Even so, the judge declared Logan as the father as Theodore refused to participate in the court case. 'I can't make Theodore the father if he doesn't want to participate,' he said.

'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 conducted, and it eliminated everyone except for two individuals; only one of those individuals is willing to participate in this case.

After the hearing, Logan said he could finally move on from the case. He added that he shared the story publicly to inspire male survivors of sexual abuse.

While his past was erratic at home, Logan has worked hard to rebuild his life. He is now a political operative in Nevada with experience working for Governor Joe Lombardo.

Logan had already cared for his brother in the past, serving as a temporary guardian when their father stopped providing support. He told the court that gaining legal clarity was just as much for his brother as it was for himself.

Where Is Doreene Gifford?

Logan's mother is now a registered sex offender on parole, currently residing in Massachusetts. She was present at the hearing, saying she 'never had any doubt' about Theodore being the father.

Doreene said that she couldn't continue the case 'mentally, physically, or emotionally'. 'I feel that it's best that we just concede this case and stop this madness now,' she said.

As mentioned earlier, Doreene was convicted and sentenced to 8 to 20 years back in 2015. She was charged with sexual assault of a minor and incest, but she maintained her innocence.

She took an Alford plea on lesser charges of attempted sexual assault, which isn't an admission of guilt. It did, however, reveal that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to convict her.

Doreene's incarceration left Logan in charge of his brother, whom Logan had a sense of duty towards. Previously, Logan had already served as his brother's temporary guardian when their father stopped caring for him.

Paternity Case Aftermath

The information on Doreene's current state was provided by Logan's attorney, Timothy Treffinger. He also told the court that 'further DNA testing would be pointless'.

He noted that a lab said they 'didn't really have any options as far as a more confirmatory test'. It didn't help that Logan's father wasn't willing to participate in the case as well.

As for Logan, he's content that he found an answer to his problem. '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 be made public necessarily, but it took that to get to this point,' he said.