On Friday, New Mexico authorities issued an arrest warrant for Timothy Busfield, a director and Emmy Award-winning actor, who is facing allegations of child sexual abuse.
An investigator from the Albuquerque Police Department has submitted a criminal complaint supporting the charge. According to the document, a child has accused Busfield of inappropriate touching. The alleged incidents took place on the set of the television series “The Cleaning Lady,” where Busfield served as both director and actor.
The child claims the initial incident occurred at the age of seven, with Busfield reportedly touching him three or four times. A second incident allegedly took place when the child was eight, during which Busfield is accused of inappropriate contact five or six times.
According to the complaint, the child’s mother contacted Child Protective Services to report the abuse, which purportedly happened between November 2022 and spring 2024.
Attempts to reach out to Busfield’s legal team and agent for comment on Friday evening were unsuccessful, as they did not respond to email inquiries.
The arrest warrant, authorized by a judge, charges Busfield with two counts of criminal sexual contact with a minor.
According to the complaint, the child, which it identifies only by his initials, has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. A social worker documented him saying he has had nightmares about Busfield touching him and woken up scared.
The child was reportedly afraid to tell anyone because Busfield was the director and he feared he would get mad at him.
The investigation began in November 2024, when the investigator responded to a call from a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital. The child’s parents had gone there at the recommendation of a law firm, the complaint said.
“The Cleaning Lady” aired for four seasons on Fox, ending in 2025. It starred Elodie Yung as a Cambodian doctor who comes to the United States to get medical treatment for her son, witnesses a mob killing and ends up becoming a cleaner for organized crime.
The show was produced by Warner Bros., which according to the complaint conducted its own investigation into the abuse allegations but was unable to corroborate them.
Busfield is known for appearances in “The West Wing,” “Field of Dreams” and “Thirtysomething,” the latter of which won him an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series in 1991.
He is married to actor Melissa Gilbert; there was no immediate response to an email sent to her publicist.
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