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” that Busfield directed and acted in.
The Marshals Service confirmed Tuesday that they are assisting the Albuquerque Police Department in the search for Busfield and the investigation into the incident.
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 touching of a sexual nature, 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 Feb. 2025, but were 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 make-up 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.
Busfield is best known for appearing in 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.
