Authorities in New Mexico issued an arrest warrant recently for the director and Emmy-winning actor Timothy Busfield to face a child sexual abuse charge.
An investigator with the Albuquerque police department filed a criminal complaint in support of the charge, which says a child reported that Busfield touched him inappropriately. The acts cited in the warrant – issued on Friday – allegedly occurred on the set of The Cleaning Lady, a TV series Busfield directed and acted in.
The child said the first incident happened when he was seven years old and Busfield touched him three or four times. Busfield allegedly touched him five or six times on another occasion when he was eight.
The child’s mother reported to New Mexico’s child protective services (CPS) that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said.
Busfield’s attorney and agent did not immediately respond to email messages seeking comment.
The arrest warrant, which was signed by a judge, said the charge was for two counts of criminal sexual contact of 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 had 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 the actor Melissa Gilbert. There was no immediate response to an email sent to her publicist. As of Sunday, Gilbert had evidently deleted her Instagram account.