New Mexico authorities issued an arrest warrant for actor and director Timothy Busfield, 68, accusing him of criminal sexual contact with a minor and child abuse allegations involving twin boys who worked as child actors on Fox’s ‘The Cleaning Lady.’ Albuquerque police said federal authorities were assisting in the effort to locate him, though the Associated Press later reported Busfield turned himself in.
New Mexico authorities have accused actor and director Timothy Busfield of sexually abusing child actors while working on Fox’s drama series The Cleaning Lady, according to a criminal complaint and reporting from the Associated Press.
Albuquerque police obtained an arrest warrant signed by a judge that lists two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse, according to AP and other outlets that cited the warrant and complaint. The allegations involve 11-year-old twin brothers, identified in court paperwork by initials, whose mother told authorities the alleged abuse occurred while they were working on the series.
According to the complaint cited by the AP, one of the boys said Busfield touched him inappropriately on multiple occasions, with the first incidents occurring when the child was 7 and again when he was 8. The mother reported that the alleged abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the AP said. The boys’ identities are being withheld because they are minors.
The investigation began in November 2024 after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital reported concerns about possible child sexual abuse, the AP reported. The complaint also says Warner Bros. conducted its own investigation but was unable to corroborate the allegations, according to the AP.
Busfield has denied wrongdoing. In reports cited by the Daily Wire and the AP, he suggested the children’s mother may have fabricated the accusations after her sons were replaced on the show.
Albuquerque police said they were working with federal authorities, including the U.S. Marshals Service, to locate Busfield. The AP later reported that Busfield turned himself in to authorities in Albuquerque to face the charges.
The Cleaning Lady aired for four seasons on Fox and ended in 2025, the AP reported. Busfield is known for roles in The West Wing, Field of Dreams and Thirtysomething—and the AP reported he won an Emmy for Thirtysomething in 1991.
Busfield is married to actor Melissa Gilbert, according to the AP and the Daily Wire.