Both in June 2024 and August 2025, law enforcement officers of the Burnsville Police Department received reports of sexual abuse that had occurred between January 1, 2023, and June 13, 2024, at a residence located on the 13000 block of Frontier Lane in Burnsville, Dakota County, MN. Officers spoke to the reporting party, Witness 1 herein, who is the mother to two minor boys, Victim 1 and Victim 2, both under the age of 8. Witness 1 and her husband, Witness 2 herein, had been at Witness 2’s parents’ house on May 31, 2024. Witness 2’s dad was identified as MICHAEL JOHN CUPPY (DOB: 08/1/6/1956), the Defendant herein.
After being at the Defendant’s home on May 31, 2024, Victim 2 reported to Witness 1 that there had been some inappropriate touching between himself and a cousin who was also present at the Defendant’s home. Victim 2 reported that the Defendant made him a ring with a sheet on it to put on Victim 2’s penis so no one could touch it. Witness 1 also spoke with Victim 1, who stated he did not want to stay with the Defendant anymore but would rather stay with his other grandpa who doesn’t touch him like the Defendant touches him.
Witness 1 noticed some odd behaviors between Victim 1 and Victim 2 in the bathroom. Victim 1 told Witness 1 that Victim 2 was showing him a game that Victim 2 learned and that it involved putting a finger in his anus. After hearing this information and seeing the odd behavior, Witness 1 took the children in to be forensically interviewed by Burnsville Police detectives. Victim 1 hesitated talking about what happened in the bathroom with Victim 2 stating that he already told Witness 1 about it. Victim 1 stated he didn’t touch anyone, and no one touched him.
Later Victim 1 did disclose some touching between himself and Victim 2 in the shower. Victim 2 was initially hesitant to report any touching but later told the Detective that they were taking a break from the Defendant because he touched my penis. Victim 2 told detectives that he wanted his grandma to change his diaper because when the Defendant did it, he touched Victim 2’s penis. He stated that this would happen when he would stay the night with the Defendant in the bedroom. 2 19HA-CR-25-2137 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 12/16/2025 After this information, Detectives interviewed the Defendant.
The Defendant denied engaging in any sexual abuse and stated he would have only touched Victim 2’s penis with a washcloth while bathing or showering. Defendant also told detectives a couple of times that kids don’t just come up with this stuff. The Defendant’s wife first told detectives that Victim 2 doesn’t wear diapers. When told that Victim 2 does wear nighttime diapers still, she told detectives that the Defendant never changed a diaper. Then on August 26, 2025, Witness 1 reported that she saw Victim 1 and Victim 2 in the basement with both of their pants down.
