It is unimaginable for any young boy to experience the horrors that Logan Gifford endured when he was just 10 years old, subjected to abuse by his own mother. This haunting chapter of his life is something no child should ever face.
Now 28, Gifford has managed to carve out a semblance of normalcy in Las Vegas, establishing a family of his own and ensuring his mother, Doreene, serves time for her crimes. Yet, a lingering shadow from his past remains—a reminder of the trauma he survived.
In 2014, Doreene became pregnant after the horrific act she committed against Gifford, leading to the birth of a disabled baby boy. Over time, Gifford began to piece together the painful possibility that the child he considered a brother might also be his son.
The boy, now 16, faces his own challenges, grappling with developmental issues and scoliosis. He, too, seeks answers about his origins and how he came into this world.
Last year, upon meeting Gifford’s infant daughter, the young boy posed a question that struck deep: “Is that my niece or sister?”
This question echoes the very one Gifford himself yearns to resolve, as he navigates the complexities of his past and present.
One paternity test came back negative.
Another was inconclusive and said the youngster’s father may be Gifford’s own dad, but that the two men’s DNA is just too similar to definitively say.
Gifford is trying to raise the $30,000 needed to pay for a sophisticated DNA test that would settle the matter once and for all, but progress on his GoFundMe page is slow.
‘I lose a piece of myself over this every day,’ Gifford said, after a judge legally declared him the boy’s dad in 2025, so he could continue to care for him.
‘This isn’t about me, it’s about my brother and someday he’s going to thank me for figuring this out,’ he says.
Logan Gifford (left) has fought to determine if the boy he knew in his childhood as his brother (center) may actually be his son, fathered through their mother’s sickening incestuous abuse
Late last year, Gifford welcomed a baby daughter with his wife, but revealed his mother’s abuse has plagued his family for another generation. His brother questioned when he held the infant: ‘Is this my sister or my niece?’
Gifford’s case captured national headlines when his pedophile mother Doreene was jailed in 2015.
He has since disowned her and built a successful career as a dealmaker for the Nevada Republican Party, with devoted wife NAME and daughter NAME by his side.
He gives his son just as much love as his daughter, even though the youngster, who suffers from developmental disabilities, may be the product of an abusive sex act that has forever traumatized him.
Gifford wonders if his brothers disabilities are a result of incest, with children born to close relatives at much higher risk of chromosomal abnormalities.
Gifford’s mother Doreene was eventually charged in 2015, and after entering an Alford plea – a guilty plea that does not acknowledge guilt but concedes that a trial would likely end in conviction – she was sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison.
She was granted parole in 2024 after serving nine years, and currently resides in Massachusetts. According to the Massachusetts sex offender registry, Doreene currently works at Positive Action Against Chemical Addiction (PAACA) – a substance abuse charity.
Gifford says he finds it ‘ridiculous’ his mother is now able to walk the streets freely and is classified as only a Level Two offender – meaning she is deemed by authorities to have a ‘moderate’ risk of re-offending.
‘Its a double standard,’ he said. ‘If my my mother were my father and I were a girl, I can’t help but feel this would be different.’
Gifford’s mother Doreene was eventually charged in 2015, and after entering an Alford plea she served nine years of a 20 year sentence. She currently resides in Massachusetts, and Gifford says he finds it ‘ridiculous’ his mother is now able to walk the streets freely and is classified as only a Level Two offender
Gifford says his fight to finally determine if his brother is his son has been agonizing, as various paternity tests have come back inconclusive or have been inadmissible in court. ‘This isn’t about me, it’s about my brother, and someday he’s going to thank me for figuring this out,’ he says
Gifford, bottom right, was raped by his mother Doreene, center, between the ages of 10 and 16
Gifford recalled sickening details of his mother’s abuse in his interview with the Daily Mail, many of which are too graphic to reproduce.
He says his mother forced him to watch pornographic films involving dead bodies when he was 12.
Gifford says his mother attempted to give him drugs so she could re-enact the same type of scene.
Gifford, who says he still refers to his possible son as his brother ‘unless necessary’, says he feels obligated to get to the truth due to his brother’s health issues.
‘I think there is a moral obligation for my brother to get answers because he is entitled to know why he is disabled… he needs help, and he deserves peace of mind over his health records.’
Gifford now takes care of his brother, who suffers from a number of disabilities including motor issues, learning difficulties and scoliosis
Gifford pictured as a boy. He says his mother’s first rape happened around the time of the 2008 presidential election
Despite the trauma he has suffered, Gifford rebuilt his life and is a successful political consultant in Nevada
Gifford’s brother struggles with certain aspects of everyday life such as tying his shoelaces but his schoolwork has dramatically improved since his older brother took him under his wing.
‘Just because he has special needs, he’s still a teenager,’ he continued. ‘This is a child who is six foot tall, 200+lbs, when I got him he was severely overweight, but he’s lost over 40lbs since he’s been with us.
‘He doesn’t appear disabled, he oozes charisma. I took him to go get blood work the other day and he was flirting with the tech… That’s the stuff that people don’t see.’
In the years since Doreene’s horrific abuse, Gifford says his brother ‘fundamentally understands’ the history behind their family and the reasons they have been in court, but he has tried to protect him from the ‘excruciating details.’
‘I don’t allow him to read the articles, I don’t allow him to see my TikTok… but he fundamentally understands,’ he said, referencing Gifford’s social media accounts where he has shared his horrific past.
‘He doesn’t need to know what happened to me, but he understands there is a strong possibility that he could be my son.’
Gifford is hopeful the DNA mystery will finally be solved in the near future and says that whatever the result, he is determined to help his brother overcome their shared trauma so he can move on with his life.
