Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
A Florida couple is behind bars for allegedly using an online appointment application to attract a 16 -year -old girl to her home, brutally torture and killing She before dismembering her remains.
Miranda Corsette’s body was discarded in a garbage container days after she was reported as missing on February 24, according to the San Petersburg Police Department.
The authorities claim that Steven Gress, 35, used the application of Grindr online appointments to attract Corset to his house, located approximately 20 miles southwest of TampaFebruary 14.
“After meeting him for the first time, (Corset) went home and the next day he returned to the house (Gress’),” said the police.
Miranda Corsette smiles in a photograph without date shared by the San Petersburg Police Department. Corset was supposedly killed by a man who had met in an appointment application, Steven Gress, and his domestic partner, Michelle Brandes. (San Petersburg Police Department)
Grindr did not immediately respond to the request for comments from Fox News Digital.
Police believe that the teenager, who was a frequent fugitive and the mother of an 11 -month -old baby, stayed in the house with Gress and his domestic partner, Michelle Brandes, 37. Ten days after he initially met the couple, the grandmother of Corsette, her main caregiver, He denounced his disappearance To the Gulfport Police.
“(His grandmother) said he normally arrives home, so he does not report that he disappears every time he leaves,” said Commander Mary Farrand, head of interim police in the city of Gulfport, at a press conference. “(Corset) simply did not return this time.”
On February 20, Corsette, Gress and Brandes had a discussion about a missing ring that the couple believed that Corset had stolen, according to the police.
Steven Gress is accused of first -degree kidnapping and murder for the alleged murder and dismemberment of Miranda Corsette, 16, in St. Petersburg, Florida. (San Petersburg Police Department)
GRESS and Brandes allegedly tortured Corseta repeatedly in the course of several days, which finally made it suffocate putting a billiard ball in the mouth and wrapping his face with plastic wrapping, according to judicial documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
“From 20 to 24, she was beaten and tortured, because they could not find this jewelry,” said San Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway.
The authorities believe that Corsette was killed between February 20 and February 24.
After the murder of Corsette, the authorities claim that Gress transported her body to a house owned by the mother of Brandes in the nearby, Florida. The evidence found in the house indicated that Corsette’s body had been dismembered before Gress drove the remains to Hillsborough county and eliminated them in a garbage container, police said.
On March 6, a witness contacted the police to inform a possible kidnapping and homicide that involves a missing teenager, according to the authorities.
Killer condemned by murder of antiques of New York, beheaded Oklahoma man in separate murder
Michelle Brandes gave himself to the San Petersburg Police and is accused of first degree murder for the alleged murder of Miranda Corsette, 16. (San Petersburg Police Department)
“The detectives located the garbage container and are working to find the body,” said San Petersburg Police in a statement.
A representative of the San Petersburg Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that research on Corsette’s murder is still ongoing.
Gress was already in police custody for drugs and drug crimes when the police accused him of first degree murder and kidnapping on March 7. The next day, Brandes gave himself to the Police and subsequently accused of first degree murder.
“This is a classic case of a vulnerable young woman who probably sought online attention,” said Patrick McCall, a McCall Risk Group security expert, Fox News Digital. “This attention came from a man who easily took advantage of her and who told her the right things, and she fell into her trap.”
Follow the Fox True Crime team in X
Gress and Brandes lawyer did not immediately respond to the request for Fox News Digital comments.
“This is a horrible crime,” said Holloway. “We want to make sure to bring justice to Miranda. I mean we want to hold all responsible parties responsible.”
Corsette murder occurs as predators continue to use Online appointment applications attract victims to their deaths.
In July 2024, A man of Pennsylvania was arrested, Having supposedly used Grindr to meet a 14 -year -old transgender teenager. Dashawn Watkins, 29, faces murder positions after Pauly expected remains were found in Lake Shenango River in Clark Borough, Pennsylvania.
Click here to get the Fox News application
Earl this year, A man from Virginia was convicted To use appointment applications to kill two women in 2021. Anthony Robinson is waiting for the sentence for the murders of Beth Redmon and Tonita Smith, after a jury condemned him for killing both women and throwing their bodies in a nearby forest area.
Personal security experts They are warning parents To monitor the use of their children’s social networks and look for warning signs that can indicate that they are talking with strangers online.
“Many times teenagers are prey to people who portray themselves as someone of their age or express similarities with them to gain their trust,” McCall said. “(Some signs include) be reserved with the phone, receive phone calls outside, hide the phone, talk about a new friend or sudden interest in something that they would not normally be interested that can relate to the person they are talking to. In general, there is a story or a sign that the child will slide into a conversation or a behavior that deviates from their normal routine.”
