Melissa Gilbert has deactivated her Instagram account amid husband Timothy Busfield’s child sex abuse allegations.
The 61-year-old actress — who spoke out against child abuse on her Instagram account in November — removed her profile after authorities in New Mexico issued an arrest warrant for Busfield, 68, on Friday.
The warrant alleged that the Emmy-winning director and actor engaged in sexual conduct with two boys.
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.
The incidents allegedly occurred on the set of The Cleaning Lady, a TV series Busfield directed and acted in between January 2022 and June 2025.
The child said the abuse initially occurred when he was seven-years-old and Busfield touched him three or four times. Busfield also allegedly touched him five or six times when he was eight.
Melissa Gilbert has deactivated her Instagram account amid husband Timothy Busfield’s child sex abuse allegations; pictured in January 2025
The 61-year-old actress removed her profile after authorities in New Mexico issued an arrest warrant for Busfield, 68, on Friday; pictured in October
The warrant alleged that the Emmy-winning director and actor engaged in sexual conduct with two boys; pictured in September 2025
According to an account from People, the Albuquerque Police Department’s Officer Marvin Brown alleged in the warrant that 11-year-old twins were the subject of the sex crimes by Busfield.
The children’s identities are being withheld from the public.
The arrest warrant, which was signed by a judge, said the charge is for two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor.
The kids’ mother reported to Child Protective Services that the abuse occurred between November 2022 and spring 2024, the complaint said.
The investigation began in November 2024, prompted by a call from a doctor at the University of New Mexico Hospital.
The minors’ parents had gone there at the recommendation of a law firm, the complaint said.
On November 15, seven weeks before the charges against her husband, Gilbert reflected on her experience as a child actor on The Little House on the Prairie.
As a teenager on the drama series, she filmed romantic scenes with a love interest played by Dean Butler, who is nine years older than her.
In November Gilbert posted a photo of herself at age 15 to depict how young she was on the set of Little House on the Prairie. She was expected to film mature, romantic scenes with an actor much older than her, something she has a different outlook on today
Gilbert, pictured as Laura Ingalls at age 15, kissed Dean Butler, 24, as Almanzo Wilder in a scene that aired in 1979
Gilbert and Busfield, married since 2013, pictured in 2023
‘So, I debated posting this but, I feel compelled to share. After seeing many women’s posts with the hashtags #iwasfifteen #imfifteen #iwasachild, I decided to Google search myself at that age and see what came up. And this is some of what I found,’ Gilbert wrote in the caption of her Instagram post at the time.
‘And now, at this age, at this time, I am actually nauseated. The girl on vacation in Hawaii with her family, is the same girl who was expected to ‘fall in love with’ and kiss a man on film who was several years older than she was,’ she continued, referring to working with Butler, who is now 69.
‘Through the lens of today, this is shocking. I have no words other than to say, “I WAS A CHILD,”’ Gilbert added.
‘Thank God my mom and Michael and so many others were there to make sure I was safe. Can you imagine if I hadn’t had them all? I am so fortunate (Sort of). Many other young women aren’t.’
Glibert made the post in response to Megyn Kelly downplaying the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein by questioning whether he was really a pedophile.