My mum sexually abused me when I was 10, now DNA breakthrough may finally reveal if my brother is my son once & for all

TUCKING his brother into bed, Logan Gifford’s head swirled with a question which had plagued him for years “Is he actually my son?” Logan Gifford and his brother – he wonders if the boy is his son and is desperate to find out Credit: SWNS Logan Gifford pictured around the time that the abuse started Credit: SWNS Logan, now 28, from Las Vegas, Nevada, had good reason to think it. He was just 10 when his mum, Doreene Gifford, started sexually assaulting him in 2008. Sign up for the Fabulous newsletter Thank you! She carried on for the next seven years, only stopping when he reported her to the police. During this period, she fell pregnant with a child. DNA tests have since proved the child – a boy who cannot be named for legal reasons – has a 99.9 per cent chance of being related to Logan… but could also be his dad’s. Logan’s mum who abused him – Doreene Gifford – who was jailed for nine years Credit: Supplied Logan, pictured with his wife, is now a proud dad to a little girl Credit: SWNS In September 2025, a Clark County judge in Nevada awarded Logan temporary custody of the child after his father failed to respond to the case and recommended the pair seek further genetic testing to determine the boy’s biological father. He’s now fundraising for more advanced DNA tests – but they are expensive. Logan, who had a daughter last year, says he is desperate to find out the mystery of whether his brother is actually his son once and for all. “I’ve got a daughter now,” he says. Most read in Fabulous “He [his brother or son] was sitting with her on the couch, and he said, ‘is this my niece or is this my sister?’ That hurt. “And a small piece of me dies every single time he asks a question like that.” Explaining why advanced DNA testing is so pricey, he says: “They have to break it down to the genome and molecular level, and they need to go through how many or what percentage of particles he [my brother] shares with each relative. But those things cost thousands and thousands of dollars.” Recalling the start of the abuse in 2008, Logan remembers how he entered his mum’s room to see a pornographic film playing on the TV. Logan Gifford and his mother Doreene in a picture from when he was younger Credit: SWNS He recalls ‘crying himself to sleep’ after being abused Credit: Logan Gifford He explains: “I was asked to stay up late and led to my mother’s room. The door was locked behind me, and I turned the corner, and I saw a pornographic film playing on the television. “She then began to expose herself, and I was sexually assaulted by her for the first time that evening.” For Logan, this was the start of a six-and-a-half year long cycle of abuse. “She was not well,” he says. “As the years went on, she became more ill and more sinister. “I remember she took me to abandoned houses and included narcotics and cigarettes in it. “I should have been in school doing homework.” It was around this time when Doreene, who Logan alleged was using drugs, suddenly fell pregnant with her third child. Logan said the birth, in 2009, was “traumatic” and the baby boy was delivered with “a severe lack of oxygen” – leading to long-term developmental complications. Still, Logan kept quiet, and the following year, Doreene gave birth to another boy, named Liam. The abuse continued, and Logan was forced to take on a main care-giving role for his siblings as his parents “weren’t functioning”. Then in June 2013, his brother drowned, and Logan finally spoke to authorities about what was going on. “All of our family went to Walmart to get this $600 above-ground pool,” he says. “I got in and then eventually the two youngest got in as well, and we were playing. “But then I went inside and was sexually assaulted. “It was by far one of the worst experiences ever, and I remember locking myself in the bathroom – I was upset and cried myself to sleep. “The next morning, my father yelled from across the house to go outside to check the pool “I find a diaper and turn the corner, and my brother is floating face down in the water.” Logan’s youngest brother, Liam, who was three at the time, drowned. Child Protective Services got involved with the family, and Logan was provided with a therapist, to whom he revealed the abuse. That year his mum, Doreene, was convicted of attempted sexual assault, incest and lewdness with a child under 14 and sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison. She ultimately served nine years and was released in 2024. A few years later, when Logan turned 17, his therapist asked him for the first time outright if his brother, who was born in 2009 and can’t be named for legal reasons, could be his son. “At first I had taken it with a grain of salt,” Logan says. “I had tried to approach my father about doing DNA tests, but I always got told to f*** off. “So I stopped fighting and had to wait to do it the right way.” In January, 2025, Logan filed a paternity case asking for a judge to order an advanced DNA test to determine who the teenager’s father is. That test was inconclusive, but Logan said he and his father, Theodore, could still both be the teenager’s biological father, after their DNA both matched 99.9 per cent to the sibling. The judge recommended further testing to ascertain who the teenager’s father was, but when Logan’s father did not respond to the case, a family court in Nevada entered a default ruling awarding Logan temporary custody of his younger brother the following September. Logan is now fighting for an advanced genetic test to find out the truth – and finally determine if him or Theodore is his brother’s biological dad. Irrespective of whether he is or isn’t his ‘brother’s’ dad, Logan says he adores him. He says: “The [relationship] we have is complex, but I love that kid to death. I’d do anything for him. “[But our relationship] is still a work in progress.” Since the ordeal, Logan has channelled his trauma into being the best carer for his family – even diving into the world of stand-up comedy where he met his now wife in November 2021. In October last year, the pair welcomed a daughter, now seven months, and Logan says he “never knew how much paternity meant” until she lay on his chest. “As a girl dad, I can either be my daughter’s first love or first heartbreak, and that’s important to me,” he says. “So being sure I uphold that standard, being kind to everyone, leaving things in a better place and finding it, you know, justice and being honourable and honest. “It’s not rocket science, but if you do the small things well, you’ll be okay – you’ll be a decent person.” He adds: “Family life now is exciting and watching my daughter and brother interact has been the greatest blessing. “We are doing our very best to recover and continue to support our children with their unique comparative advantages.” He spoke to Key Witness: Aftermath is a collaboration between social producers Creatorville and content agency SWNS. The weekly vodcast is released on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts. 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