Timothy Busfield surrenders amid child sexual abuse charges

Timothy Busfield has surrendered to police in Albuquerque after a four-day search, Independent.co reported. The 68-year-old has been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and an open count of child abuse.

A warrant issued on January 9 accuses him of unlawful sexual conduct with two 11-year-old twin boys; the boys' parents said the children met Busfield on the set of the Fox series The Cleaning Lady, which he directed in season two. The criminal complaint says the alleged abuse took place from November 2022 to spring 2024, and complaints reported to Warner Bros. in February 2025 prompted an independent investigation that the company said found no evidence supporting the allegations. Police documents also report a claim that he kissed a child on the face while the boy was getting a haircut in the hair and makeup trailer.

In a video obtained by TMZ before he turned himself in, Busfield called the allegations "horrible" and "all lies," said "I did not do anything to those little boys," and vowed to fight the charges and be exonerated. His representatives did not immediately return a request for comment. Busfield is married to actor Melissa Gilbert, who deleted her Instagram after the allegations surfaced.

Key Topics

Culture, Timothy Busfield, Melissa Gilbert, Fox, Warner Bros, Albuquerque