A Florida teenage girl was murdered and dismembered before being discarded in a dumpster by a couple. The 16-year-old girl, identified as Miranda Corsette, went missing last month reportedly after she was lured to the couple’s home after meeting a man on a dating app.
Corsette was reported missing on February 24, several days after she met 35-year-old Steven Gress in person for the first time. Gress, the suspect, reportedly lured Corsette through an online dating app. The St. Petersburg police detectives disclosed in a social media post that Corsette returned home after she first met Gress.
However, the teen went to Gress’ house the following day. Gress lives with his partner, 37-year-old Michelle Brandes, and Corsette is believed to have stayed with the couple. When Corsette’s grandmother, whom she lives with, realised she was not coming home, a missing report was filed with the Guilford Police Department on February 24.
Corsette is the mother of an 11-month-old baby, and, according to the Guilford Police Department, she has a history of running away from home.
“The grandmother is her primary carer at this time. She said she normally comes home, so she doesn’t report her missing every time she leaves,” Commander Mary Farrand stated, according to CBS News. Farrand, the acting police chief for Gulfport, added that Corsette did not return home in a “timely manner” this time.
According to the authorities, a dispute erupted on February 20, leading the couple to allegedly kill Corsette over missing jewellery. The altercation began with an argument involving Gress, Corsette, and Brandes. The teen was subsequently beaten and tortured for multiple days.
St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway stated, “From the 20th through the 24th, she was beaten and tortured because they could not find this piece of jewellery.”
The authorities shared that between February 20 and February 24, the teen was killed. The detectives theorised that Gress took the body to Brandes’ mother’s house in Largo, Florida, where he dismembered her there, based on the physical evidence gathered. Gress allegedly took the remains to a dumpster in Hillsborough County and discarded them.
The police said, “Detectives located the dumpster and are working to find the body.”
Brandes turned herself in to the police on March 8 after the police received a tip about the murder. Brandes was charged with a first-degree murder charge. Gress was arrested on March 5 for unrelated charges. He is now facing first-degree murder and kidnapping charges.