Federal authorities have joined local police in the search for actor and television director Timothy Busfield after an arrest warrant was issued in New Mexico, accusing him of unlawful sexual conduct involving two minor children.
According to PEOPLE, the Albuquerque Police Department confirmed it is working alongside the U.S. Marshals Service to locate Busfield, 68, following allegations that he engaged in illegal sexual acts with 11-year-old twin boys.
As of the latest update, Busfield had not been taken into custody.
According to the arrest warrant obtained by the outlet, Officer Marvin Brown alleged that the twins — whose identities have not been made public — were victims of sex crimes carried out by Busfield over several years.
One of the boys reportedly told investigators the alleged conduct began when he was just 7 years old.
Busfield, a longtime actor best known for his roles on The West Wing and Thirtysomething, is married to actress Melissa Gilbert, the former Little House on the Prairie star.
The couple married in 2013.
The investigation into Busfield began in November 2024, according to the warrant, after a physician at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) contacted law enforcement to report suspected sexual abuse.
The boys’ parents later told police their children were child actors who met Busfield while working on the Fox series The Cleaning Lady, where Busfield served as a director.
The show aired from January 2022 through June 2025.
After consulting an attorney, the parents brought the children to UNMH, where professionals reportedly suggested the boys “were groomed,” the warrant states. At that time, authorities determined the case did not meet the acceptance criteria for further action.
Months later, in October 2025, the children’s mother filed a police report and contacted Child Protective Services, stating “her children both disclosed that there was sexual abuse by Timothy from around November 2022 to Spring 2024.”
According to the warrant, she was told no action could be taken because physical abuse had not been established.
During interviews with police, Busfield allegedly claimed the parents were upset that their sons had been replaced on the show by a younger actor. Not long afterward, he reportedly received a call from Warner Bros. informing him that a complaint was under investigation.
Weeks before the warrant became public, Gilbert addressed the topic of child sex abuse in a social media post, reflecting on her own childhood acting experiences. She did not accuse Busfield or reference the investigation.
Anyone who suspects child abuse is encouraged to contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or visitwww.childhelp.org
