Melissa Gilbert Was on Speakerphone During Husband Timothy Busfield’s Interview with Detectives Prior to an Arrest Warrant

YOU NEED TO KNOW

• Melissa Gilbert was on speakerphone during her husband Timothy Busfield’s interview with police amid an investigation into his alleged sex crimes

• An arrest warrant issued Jan. 9 in Albuquerque, NM, alleged that 68-year-old actor and director Busfield engaged in illegal sexual conduct with two child actors.

• During the Nov. 3, 2025 phone interview, Busfield allegedly told police that the boys’ parents were upset that they had been replaced by a younger actor, according to the warrant.

Melissa Gilbert was present during her husband Timothy Busfield’s phone interview with police amid an investigation into his alleged sex crimes, according to an arrest warrant.

On Friday, January 9, the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) issued the arrest warrant, alleging that the 68-year-old actor and director Busfield engaged in illegal sexual behavior with two child actors, twin 11-year-old boys — one of whom alleged that the incidents began when he was 7 years old.

In the warrant, obtained by PEOPLE, Officer Marvin Brown stated that he contacted Busfield for a telephone interview on November 3, 2025. Busfield told the investigator that he was in New York at the time of the call and that his wife, Little House on the Prairie star Gilbert, 61, was listening to the conversation on speakerphone.

During the phone interview, Busfield allegedly told police that the boys’ parents were upset that they had been replaced by a younger actor, according to the warrant. Shortly after, Busfield told the police, he received a phone call from Warner Bros informing him that they were investigating a complaint.

The police investigation into the allegations against Busfield began on November 1, 2024, after a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) alerted officials to a case of alleged sexual abuse.

While speaking with Officer Brown, the victims’ parents said the minors were child actors who met Busfield on the set of the FOX series. The Cleaning Ladywhere Busfield served as a director, according to the arrest warrant.

The boys’ parents said professionals suggested they “were groomed,” according to the warrant. It was later determined, however, that the case did not meet the acceptance criteria of the authorities at the time.

In October 2025, the victims’ mother filed a police report and told Child Protective Services (CPS) that “her children disclosed that there was sexual abuse by Timothy from approximately November 2022 to Spring 2024.” However, according to the mandate, he initially told her that because no physical abuse had occurred, nothing could be done.

During Busfield’s telephone interview, investigators determined that Busfield and Gilbert “had a relationship” with the two victims “and their family outside of work.”

“They advised that they bought Christmas presents for the two boys and were together [at] various social functions,” Brown wrote in the arrest warrant, referring to statements Busfield and Gilbert made during an interview conducted amid an investigation.

At the conclusion of his findings, Brown again mentioned Christmas gift-giving, writing that Busfield “will invite the family to offset gatherings, with his wife buying Christmas gifts to foster closeness.”

Prior to the recent arrest warrant, Busfield faced prior sexual assault allegations dating back to 1994, according to the warrant. Those allegations did not result in charges.

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Gilbert and Busfield, who is known for his roles in Thirty and The West WingWed in 2013.

Representatives for both Gilbert and Busfield did not respond to PEOPLE’s repeated requests for comment.

In an earlier statement to PEOPLE, a Warner Bros. Television representative said, “The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our highest priority, especially the safety of minors on our productions. We take all allegations of misconduct very seriously and have systems in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate, and when necessary, take appropriate action.”

“[We] they have been and will continue to cooperate with law enforcement,” the spokesperson added.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

Read the original article on People