Modern Prairie Responds After Timothy Busfield Turns Himself In on Abuse Charges

People reports that actor-director Timothy Busfield, 68, faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse and turned himself in in Albuquerque on Tuesday, Jan. 13; hours later Melissa Gilbert’s clothing and decor brand Modern Prairie issued an Instagram statement addressing the allegations.

An Albuquerque Police Department arrest warrant issued Jan. 9 alleges the alleged sexual abuse involved 11-year-old twin boys whose parents said the children met Busfield on the set of the Fox series The Cleaning Lady after he joined as a director in season 2. The warrant says one minor alleged the incidents began when he was 7 and that the children disclosed abuse “from around November 2022 to Spring 2024,” according to a police report their mother filed.

The investigation began Nov. 1, 2024 after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital alerted officers, professionals raised concerns the boys had been groomed, and authorities initially determined the case did not meet acceptance criteria at the time. Modern Prairie said in its statement that the allegations "do not involve Modern Prairie, our operations, nor our community," condemned abuse in all forms, and called the matters personal while it respects the family’s privacy.

Key Topics

Culture, Timothy Busfield, Melissa Gilbert, Modern Prairie, Albuquerque Police Department, Unmh