'7th Heaven' Actor Stephen Collins Accused of Child Molestation

— -- For years, Stephen Collins was seen as the wholesome pastor and family man on the TV show "7th Heaven."

How quickly things can change. Now, police are investigating child molestation claims against the 67-year-old actor.

In court documents obtained by ABC News, the actor's estranged wife, Faye Grant, called Collins a pedophile with a "long term pattern of sexually abusing minor children."

She added that their therapist described him as “narcissistic” with “sociopathic tendencies," and claimed that her husband used "his celebrity status to engender the trust of the families of the children he molested."

But the most damning piece of evidence seems to come directly from Collins. On a tape reportedly recorded by his Grant during a therapy session in 2012 and released by TMZ, the actor confesses to molesting three girls. (Grant has denied leaking the tape to the media, saying the "extremely private recording" had been handed over to authorities in 2012.) As a result, the NYPD has launched an investigation into the claims.

"There is not a statute of limitations... if this audio tape is authenticated," Nancy Grace told ABC News.

Collins's career has already been affected by the bombshell.

ABC News confirmed with a source close to the film "Ted 2" that the actor has been released from the project, and yesterday, Collins also resigned from SAG AFTRA. Meanwhile, UP TV has yanked "7th Heaven" from its programming schedule.

Collins, whose divorce trial is scheduled to start next week, has yet to comment.