More details about the Timothy Busfield sexual abuse scandal

Some new reports on the news reveal what led the parents of the twin boys Timothy Busfield was accused of sexually assaulting to contact authorities:

The allegations involve two boys who worked on “The Cleaning Lady.” Their parents said Busfield joined the show as a director and became close with the boys.

“He got pretty close to the boys, his name is Timothy Busfield, and um, he told the boys to call him Uncle Tim,” one parent said.

The parents said they later saw social media posts about allegations in California, then looked back at photos of Busfield with their boys and felt uncomfortable.

What changed things is when one of the parents told police she asked her children, “Has anyone ever touched you where you’re uncomfortable on set?” to which one of the children replied, “You mean like Uncle Tim?”

The parents said they called a pediatrician, then took the boys to University of New Mexico pediatric urgent care and got a referral to Child Abuse Response Teams (CART). The parents said after doctors talked with the boys, the doctors told them their story was consistent with grooming or preliminary stages of grooming.

A doctor also asked whether Busfield had ever been in a room alone with the boys. The parents said that happened in September during what was described as an audition, though one other person was in the room. The parents said that violated Screen Actors Guild rules because a parent needed to be present.

Later, police talked with the parents again after the boys had seen a therapist. Court documents say the parents then reported “a lot of touching and tickling,” including contact with the genital area.

This is very chilling, and again, it's disgusting how Busfield's wife, Melissa Gilbert, is acting as an apologist for him, all this despite how several accusations against him by at least 5 women is also very damning. If she has talent agencies representing her, they should stop their sponsorship for her as well, just like Busfield's did, because her defense of such a repugnant man is also reprehensible.