Timothy Busfield, best known for his role as Danny Concannon on The West Wing, is now at the center of a multi-agency manhunt after being accused of crimes involving child actors.
US Marshals joined local authorities last Friday (January 9) in attempting to locate the 68-year-old actor and director, who has been declared missing while facing multiple felony charges related to allegedly taking advantage of minors.
Highlights
- US Marshals joined authorities on January 9 to locate Timothy Busfield, who has been declared missing.
- Busfield faces multiple felony charges tied to inappropriately touching child actors on The Cleaning Lady set.
- The director had previously framed the incidents as him “playfully” interacting with the children.
The escalation comes as past allegations against Busfield have resurfaced, including a decades-old case in which he was ordered to pay $150,000 after a judge rejected his claim that an allegation against him had been fabricated.
Investigators say that earlier case, along with a second complaint from 2012, was uncovered during the current probe.
Timothy Busfield has gone “missing” after being accused of crimes involving minors
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Busfield is currently wanted in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, on two counts of criminal contact of a minor and one count of child ab*se, stemming from allegations that he inappropriately touched two child actors on the set of the Fox television series The Cleaning Lady, which he directed.
According to the arrest warrant, the investigation was opened in November 2024 after staff at the University of New Mexico Hospital contacted police with concerns that child actors may have been groomed on set.
Image credits: Getty/Pascal Le Segretain
The allegations were raised by the parents of 11-year-old twin boys who appeared on the series, one of whom later told authorities he had been targeted by Busfield starting at age seven.
Investigators allege the misconduct occurred over an extended period, spanning from November 2022 through the spring of 2024.
A criminal complaint states that Busfield “grew closer to the boys” during filming, invited their family to off-set gatherings, and encouraged the children to call him “Uncle Tim.”
Image credits: FOX/The Cleaning Lady
According to Albuquerque Police Officer Marvin Brown, Busfield and his wife, Melissa Gilbert, bought the boys Christmas gifts “to foster closeness.”
“He would tickle them on the stomach and legs, despite them not liking the tickling,” the complaint alleges.
While no intimate touching was initially reported, one parent contacted Child Protective Services in October 2025 after her child’s testimony pointed to the contrary.
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The child later told a therapist that Busfield touched his “genitalia” and “bottom” while in a bedroom on the set, according to an affidavit first reported by KTLA.
At least one of the children has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The actor described how he regularly touched child actors on set in a “playful” manner
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Busfield was interviewed by Albuquerque Police on November 3, 2025. According to the arrest warrant, Gilbert listened to the entire call on speakerphone.
During the interview, Busfield reportedly dismissed the accusations as a fabricated revenge plot, telling investigators the parents were upset because their sons had been replaced with a younger actor on the show.
He also claimed he was in New York at the time of some of the alleged incidents.
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When asked whether he had physical contact with the children, Busfield reportedly said it was “highly likely that he would have,” describing The Cleaning Lady set as a “playful environment.”
“I mean, I’m always around people, right? It would be, you know, in front of the parents. There would never be a weird moment about it,” Busfield said during the interview, according to the warrant.
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Asked about protocol for touching or picking up children on set, Busfield initially said it “wasn’t allowed,” before adding that there was “no protocol” regarding physical contact between adults and minors.
“I don’t really remember picking those boys up,” he told police. “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.”
Image credits: NBC/Law & Order: SVU
Busfield also reportedly said that tickling children “wouldn’t be uncommon” for him, though he claimed he did not remember “overtly tickling the boys ever” in relation to the case.
One of the alleged victims, however, told investigators he was “very afraid” of Busfield on set and did not speak up at the time “because Tim was the director, and he feared Tim would get mad at him.”
Investigators with the Albuquerque Police Department have since enlisted the US Marshals Service to help locate Busfield.
As the manhunt unfolds, scrutiny has intensified around Busfield’s past lawsuits and offenses
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Court records reveal that in 1996, Busfield was ordered by US District Judge James Ideman to pay $150,000 to Minneapolis law firm Messerli & Kramer after the judge rejected Busfield’s claim that the firm had fabricated an allegation against him.
The payment covered the firm’s legal costs in defending itself against a defamation lawsuit filed by Busfield. He later appealed, and the parties ultimately settled.
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The underlying allegation involved claims that Busfield inappropriately touched a 17-year-old girl on the set of the 1993 film Little Big League, which he directed. Busfield also settled a separate lawsuit with the teen for an undisclosed sum, according to Deseret News.
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Investigators also uncovered a separate complaint from around 2012, in which a 28-year-old woman accused Busfield of battery in a Los Angeles movie theater, alleging he slipped his hands under her clothes and touched her privates for four minutes.
No charges were filed in that case due to what prosecutors described as “slim evidence,” and Busfield claiming the encounter was consensual.
Image credits: Getty/Rodin Eckenroth
In a statement to People Magazine, a spokesperson confirmed Warner Bros. Television launched its own investigation after Busfield’s police interview.
“The health and safety of our cast and crew is always our top priority,” they said.
“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.”
"His wife is hiding him." Netizens speculated about Busfield's whereabouts
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