Melissa Gilbert was on speakerphone during her husband Timothy Busfield’s interview with detectives prior to the arrest warrant.

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• 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, accused actor and director Busfield, 68, of engaging in unlawful sexual conduct with two child actors.

• In a Nov. 3, 2025, phone interview, Busfield allegedly told police that the boy’s parents were concerned that they had been replaced with a younger actor, according to the warrant.

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

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

In a warrant obtained by PEOPLE, Officer Marvin Brown said he contacted Busfield for a phone interview on Nov. 3, 2025. Busfield told investigators that he was in New York at the time of the phone call and that his wife, Little House on the Prairie Starr Gilbert, 61, was listening to the conversation through speakerphone.

During a phone interview, Busfield reportedly told police that the boy’s parents were concerned that they had been replaced with a younger actor, according to the warrant. Soon after, Busfield told police, he got a call from Warner Bros. informing him they were looking into the complaint.

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

When speaking with Officer Brown, the victim’s parents said the minors were child actors who met Busfield on the set of the Fox series. cleaning ladywhere Busfield served as a director, according to the arrest warrant.

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

In October 2025, the victim’s mother filed a police report and told Child Protective Services (CPS) that “her children disclosed that Timothy sexually abused her from November 2022 to spring 2024.” However, according to the warrant, he was initially told that nothing could be done as there was no physical abuse.

During Busfield’s phone interview, investigators determined that Busfield and Gilbert “had relationships outside of work” with the two victims and their families.

“They advised that they had bought the two boys Christmas presents and were together [at] A lot of social work,” Brown wrote in the arrest warrant, referring to statements Busfield and Gilbert made in an interview that took place amid the investigation.

In concluding his conclusion, Brown mentioned Christmas gift-giving again, writing that Busfield would “invite the family to off-set gatherings, with his wife buying Christmas presents to increase intimacy.”

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

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Gilbert and Busfield, who are known for their roles thirty things and West WingMarried in 2013.

Representatives for both Gilbert and Busfield have not responded to PEOPLE’s repeated requests for comment.

In a previous 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 in our productions. We take all allegations of misconduct seriously and have systems in place to promptly and thoroughly investigate, and take appropriate action when necessary.”

“[We] “It has 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 visit www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in over 170 languages.

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