U.S. Marshals Service joins search for actor Timothy Busfield after child sex abuse allegations
The U.S. Marshals Service has joined the search for actor Timothy Busfield after a child accused him of sex abuse in New Mexico.
Authorities have been unable to locate Busfield since authorities in New Mexico issued an arrest warrant for him last week. The warrant was issued after two children reported that Busfield allegedly touched them inappropriately on the set of the Fox series “The Cleaning Lady” in which he directed and acted.
The Marshals Service confirmed Tuesday that it is assisting the Albuquerque Police Department in the search for Busfield and the investigation into the alleged incident.
A lawyer representing Busfield did not immediately return a request for comment.
According to a criminal complaint filed earlier this month, the parents of two boys who acted on Warner Bros.’ “The Cleaning Lady” said Busfield allegedly touched them on multiple occasions when they were 7 and 8 years old. One of the boys reported that he was touched on his intimate parts, per the complaint.
The abuse is alleged to have taken place between November 2022 and spring 2024, according to the criminal complaint. Warner Bros. conducted an independent investigation into complaints made against Busfield that were reported in February 2025, but was not able to find any evidence to corroborate the allegations. The allegations included claims that Busfield kissed a child on the face as he was getting a haircut in the hair and makeup trailer.
In an interview with investigators in November, Busfield alleged that another actor on the show told him the mother of the boys was upset with Busfield when the children weren’t brought back for the final season of the show, alleging that the mother wanted revenge on him for that reason, according to a transcript of the interview. The actor declined to speak to investigators, according to the complaint.
Busfield is best known for appearing in the TV shows “The West Wing” and “Thirtysomething” and the movie “Field of Dreams.” The actor and director won an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series in 1991 for his role in “Thirtysomething.”
He is married to actress Melissa Gilbert. She deleted her Instagram some time after the allegations against her husband surfaced.
NBC News has reached out to representatives for Gilbert.
