Timothy Busfield turns himself in to police, promises to fight child sex abuse accusations

Days after authorities in New Mexico issued an arrest warrant for "Thirtysomething" alum Timothy Busfield on child sex abuse charges, the 68-year-old actor has turned himself into police. 

"Timothy Busfield has turned himself in at the Metro Detention Center," Gilbert Gallegos, director of communications for the Albuquerque Police Department, told Fox News Digital. "He will be booked on his warrant."

In a video, obtained by TMZ, Busfield denied the accusations against him.

"Hi everybody, it's Tim. I'm sure most of you know, that are watching this, that I was ordered to come to Albuquerque – I'm here now," he said. "I got the call Friday night, I had to get a lawyer. Saturday I got in the car, drove 2,000 miles to Albuquerque. I'm gonna confront these lies. They're horrible."

"They're all lies and I did not do anything to those little boys and I'm gonna fight it," he continued. "I'm gonna fight it with a great team, and I'm gonna be exonerated, I know I am, because this is all so wrong and all lies."

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"So hang in there, and hopefully I'm out real soon and back to work," he concluded. "I love everybody for supporting me, thank you."

On Monday, the U.S. Marshals stepped in, taking over efforts to locate and apprehend the actor. 

"Albuquerque Police Department is working with the U.S. Marshal Service to get Mr. Busfield into custody," APD spokesperson Gilbert Gallegos told Fox News Digital on Tuesday of the DOJ’s primary agency for fugitive investigations.

On Jan. 9, an arrest warrant for the director and Emmy Award-winning actor, obtained by Fox News Digital, was issued. 

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.

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The alleged acts — which allegedly happened when the child was 7 years old — occurred on the set of "The Cleaning Lady," a TV series Busfield directed and acted in. Busfield allegedly touched the child three or four times, and again, another five or six times when the child was 8.

"The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our top priority, especially the safety of minors on our productions," a representative from Warner Bros. Television told Fox News Digital in a statement. "We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and have systems in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate, and when needed, take appropriate action. We are aware of the current charges against Mr. Busfield and have been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement."

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The police investigation into the allegations against Busfield began on Nov. 1, 2024, after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital alerted officers about a case of alleged sexual abuse.

According to an arrest warrant obtained by Fox News Digital, two 11-year-old twins allege that the director, whom they were told to call Uncle Tim on the set of "The Cleaning Lady," touched them inappropriately. One twin claimed an incident occurred while alone with Busfield in a bedroom on set, alleging he was touched over his clothes on his genitals and bottom. The warrant further states that hospital professionals later informed the parents that the children showed signs of being "groomed."

The boys also alleged that Busfield would "tickle them on the stomach and legs" while on set with them. 

One of the boys was diagnosed with moderate PTSD and anxiety following his claims of "inappropriate touching." 

The boy said he had been "having nightmares about the director touching him and waking up scared," and alleged Busfield "had touched and rubbed his penis 3 or 4 times and appeared to be ashamed," the warrant stated.

In an interview before his arrest, Busfield allegedly told police he had heard the parents wanted "revenge" against him because their boys had been replaced by someone younger for the final season of the show, which ran from 2022 until 2025. 

When investigators asked Busfield if he had ever picked up the children, he allegedly admitted it was "highly likely that he would have." He defended the behavior by saying he wanted to foster a "playful" environment on set, adding that such interactions would have occurred in front of their parents.

"There would never be a weird moment about it," Busfield told police, according to the warrant. "I don't really remember picking those boys up. I remember picking up the boy who followed them. I'd pick him up, and he'd be giggling, and that would sort of get him ready to act."

Busfield said that he and his wife, Melissa Gilbert, had a relationship with the boys and their family outside of the show before the children were cast, had seen them at social gatherings and had even purchased Christmas presents for the boys, according to the warrant.

Police interviewed numerous people during the investigation, including a witness who claimed to have seen an incident in the hair and make-up trailer in which executive producer and director "Tim Busfield entered and kissed a minor male on the face as the minor was getting a haircut." 

"In my training and experience, pedophiles often infiltrate families under a trusted role, like Timothy, who, as a producer, exploited the hectic film sets to tickle and touch SL on his penis and buttocks, masking it as play," an officer wrote in the warrant. 

Busfield's wife, "Little House on the Prairie" actress Melissa Gilbert, reportedly deleted her Instagram account after the arrest warrant was issued. 

Gilbert's representative told Fox News Digital that the actress will continue to support her husband and will address the public at the appropriate time. 

"Melissa Gilbert is not making public statements at this time. Any purported ‘statements’ circulating online — including AI-generated deepfakes of her ‘breaking her silence’ — should not be treated as coming from her," her representative said. "She is honoring the request of Tim’s lawyers not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds. During this period, her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment. Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time. We ask that their privacy be respected."

Gilbert and Busfield married in 2013. 

In a statement shared with Fox News Digital, Busfield’s civil attorney, Stanton "Larry" Stein, said, "This morning, Tim voluntarily appeared before New Mexico authorities after traveling across the country to confront these false and deeply troubling allegations. He is innocent and is determined to clear his name."

Stein continued: "As reflected in the criminal complaint, after her son was terminated from the show, the boy’s mother vowed to ‘get her revenge against Timothy Busfield.’ What followed appears to be a calculated effort to construct a case, driven by animus not fact, despite prior investigations finding no evidence of wrongdoing."

"The claims being made against Tim are completely false, and we will fight this to the end until the truth prevails," he added. 

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He also included a statement from Christina McGovern, who he said was the independent outside investigator retained by Warner Brothers to examine the allegations of on-set misconduct. 

"I conducted an independent and thorough investigation of all allegations known to the Studio at the time," McGovern said. "Warner Bros. gave me full discretion as to my investigation. Based on what was alleged, and all evidence gathered, including multiple witness statements, I found no corroborating evidence that Mr. Busfield engaged in inappropriate conduct or that he was ever alone with the twins on set."