Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
A man who fears that his brother could actually be his son took to social media to give people an update on his complex situation.
Las Vegas man 26-year-old Logan Gifford came forward back in 2015 and accused his mother, Doreene Gifford, of sexually abusing him from the age of 10.
That same year, when Logan was 16, his mother was convicted of attempted sexual assault, incest, and lewdness with a child under 14, and was sentenced to eight to 20 years in jail.
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She maintained her innocence and took an Alford plea. This meant she did not admit guilt, but acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict.
Speaking to local news outlet 8 News, Logan remarked that he eventually became concerned that his younger brother, who had disabilities and needed specialist care at home and school, could actually be his son.
Logan has been caring for his younger brother since he was 11, after his mother gave birth to the child.
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His mother was released in July 2024 on parole and according to a GoFundMe page, Logan is now fighting for custody of his younger brother.
As well as this, earlier this year he requested a DNA paternity test and the results came out at the end of last month.
At the end of July, Gifford took to TikTok to give his followers an update on the custody situation involving his brother.
In the post, he also shared a screenshot of a news article discussing that the DNA test had come back inconclusive.
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He wrote: “I have been granted temporary sole physical and legal custody of [my] younger sibling following a court ruling by Judge Ochoa in Clark County Family Court.
"This decision comes as part of ongoing proceedings surrounding a complex and deeply personal paternity matter.
“Recent lab results submitted to the court showed a 99.9% probability of paternity for both me and [my father] Theodore ‘Ted’ Gifford.
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“The judge deferred any further advanced testing to our legal counsel, who will be evaluating all modern and accurate lab methods before proceeding.”
The reason they both scored such a high percentage is that both parents and siblings share 50 percent of their DNA with a child, making it harder to determine a biological relation.
At the hearing on July 31, Judge Vincent Ochoa stated that these results weren’t surprising and should have been suspected from the beginning.
Logan’s updating post continued: “This is about doing right by my sibling. My goal is to ensure their safety, stability, and long-term well-being.
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“We are taking the science seriously, and my legal team and I will move forward with thoughtful care and urgency.”
He also explained that an upcoming hearing is set for September 24 at 11am in Clark County Family Court.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.
Gerrard Kaonga