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A Las Vegas man, victimized by childhood abuse at the hands of his mother, believes he might be both sibling and parent to his brother. A court has now appointed him as his brother’s legal guardian.
Logan Gifford, a 26-year-old involved in politics in Nevada, informed the court of his suspicion that his 16-year-old brother could also be his son. DNA tests, however, have not provided a definitive answer.
Earlier this year, Logan sought legal action for a paternity test, requesting a more advanced DNA analysis to ascertain his brother’s biological father. The results indicated a 99.9 percent genetic match between Logan, his father, and the brother, who has a disability.
Family Court Judge Vincent Ochoa noted that the DNA test could not definitively identify the father between the two possibilities, as per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The judge further stated that due to Gifford’s cohabitation with the child and his father Theodore Gifford’s refusal to be involved in the case, Logan is recognized as the boy’s father.
‘I can’t make [Theodore] the father if he doesn’t want to participate,’ the judge said.
‘I am approving the default to declare Logan Gifford the legal father,’ the judge concluded. ‘This is our only option, considering the DNA results exclude all but two individuals, and only one is willing to be legally involved.’
Logan Gifford, 26, told a court that he suspects his 16-year-old brother is also his biological son, but DNA tests have been inconclusive
Logan’s mother Doreene Gifford was charged with sexual assault of a minor and incest, but she maintained her innocence, and was sentenced to 8-20 years in prison after takin an Alford plea
Gifford’s mother Doreene Gifford was convicted of raping her son and sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison in 2015.
Doreene is now a registered sex offender on parole and living in Massachusetts, Gifford’s attorney Timothy Treffinger said.
She was present in the hearing and said: ‘I never had any doubt that Theodore was the father, but I cannot continue this case, mentally, physically or emotionally.
‘I feel that it’s best that we just concede this case and stop this madness now.’
The attorney told the court that further DNA testing would be pointless as a lab said they ‘didn’t really have any options as far as a more confirmatory test.’
After the hearing, Logan Gifford said he was ready to move on from the case.
‘Clearly, we got the answer that we were anticipating,’ he said. ‘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.’
Gifford came forward to authorities when he was 16, saying his mother had sexually abused him since he was 10 years old.
Gifford made headlines a decade ago after he came forward with horrific allegations that his mother Doreene Gifford raped him since he was 10, which he fears may mean his brother is actually his biological son (pictured together)
Gifford (pictured aged 10) said he was ready to move on from the case after the ruling
Just 16 at the time he came forward, he came to believe that his younger brother may actually be his biological son conceived around the end period of his years of abuse.
Doreene Gifford was charged with sexual assault of a minor and incest, but she maintained her innocence.
She eventually took an Alford plea on lesser charges of attempted sexual assault, which means she did not admit guilt but conceded that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict her in court.
The incarceration left Gifford in charge of his brother, who the 26-year-old has long said he feels ‘a duty’ towards.
He previously served as his brother’s temporary guardian after his father stopped caring for him.
