Melissa Gilbert Shares First Social Media Post After Husband Timothy Busfield’s Child Sex Abuse Indictment Was Dismissed

Toria SheffieldSat, October 17, 2026 at 9:37 PM UTC

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Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield in 2023Credit: Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty -

Melissa Gilbert shared a cryptic Instagram post on Oct. 16, hours after a judge dismissed her husband Timothy Busfield’s child sex abuse indictment due to procedural violations

The post featured a variation on a famous Shakespeare quote

The ruling does not prevent prosecutors from pursuing new criminal proceedings against the actor, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges

Melissa Gilbert, actress and wife of Timothy Busfield, shared an Instagram post several hours after news broke that a New Mexico judge had thrown out Busfield’s child sex abuse indictment.

In the Instagram post shared on Friday, Oct. 16, Gilbert, 62, shared a screenshot of a variation on a William Shakespeare quote that reads: “So shines a good deed in a weary world.” The quote is also spoken by actor Gene Wilder in 1971’sWilly Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

The actress did not include a caption in her post.

A representative for Gilbert did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The post was shared shortly after New Mexico District Court Judge Joseph Montaño granted a motion by Busfield, 69, to quash his indictment on four counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.

The judge cited procedural violations during the grand jury proceedings, per the documents. The judge additionally stated that the decision does not prevent prosecutors from pursuing the allegations again at a later date.

The case stems from allegations of sexual misconduct involving Busfield and two 11-year-old boys, who the director allegedly met on the set of the show The Cleaning Lady, according to court documents previously obtained by PEOPLE. The alleged incidents took place in October 2022 and September 2023, per the documents.

Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield in 2023Credit: VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty

Busfield surrendered to police on Jan. 13 after an arrest warrant was issued by the Albuquerque Police Department on Jan. 9.

Busfield pleaded not guilty to all four counts, according to a plea entry filed in New Mexico’s Second Judicial District Court.

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Gilbert, who has been married to Busfield since 2013, has defended him throughout the proceedings.

Timothy Busfield in court in New Mexico on Jan. 20, 2026Credit: Sam Wasson/Getty

During an April appearance on Good Morning America, the former Little House on the Prairie actress said Busfield was the “last person in the world who would hurt a child,” while also saying that the charges brought against him have been “hell” for their family.

“Our life as we knew it is done,” she said during the interview. “We are grieving what we had — all of our plans, all of our dreams, all of our ideas, all of our projects. For Tim, it’s done. He’s canceled. Even if he’s exonerated, he will always be that guy. [He’s] the last person in the world who would hurt a child. And believe me, if I thought for a second that Tim Busfield hurt a child, he’d have a lot more to worry about than prison.”

“This has been the most traumatizing experience of our lives,” she added.

In a statement to PEOPLE following the recent court decision, Larry Stein, the civil attorney for Busfield, said, “Tim said from the beginning that he was innocent. That he would fight to prove his innocence. And he did.”

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Nancy Laflin, a spokesperson for the Bernalillo County District Attorney’s Office, told PEOPLE that the office is currently “evaluating our options to determine how we will proceed.”

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

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”