A couple in Florida is facing murder charges after the body of a teenage girl they allegedly met on a dating app was found dismembered in a dumpster, according to authorities.
The St. Petersburg Police Department confirmed in a Facebook post on Friday, March 7, that the body of 16-year-old Miranda Corsette was found in a dumpster nearly two weeks after she was reported missing on February 24.
According to police, suspect Steven Gress, 35, met Corsette on a dating app and lured her to his St. Petersburg home on February 14.
“After meeting him the first time, [Corsette] went home and then the next day she returned to his home,” according to law enforcement.
Corsette is believed to have stayed with Gress and his partner Michelle Brandes, 37, at their home before her grandmother reported her missing to Gulfport Police on February 24.
During a press conference on March 7, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway stated that Corsette was homeschooled and lived with her grandmother because both of her parents had died. She was also the mother of an 11-month-old child.
Commander Mary Farrand, the city of Gulfport’s acting police chief, stated at the press conference that local police are “very familiar with Miranda” because she “is a frequent runaway and has a history of mental health issues as well as drug abuse.”
“Her grandmother is her primary caregiver at this time. “She said she usually returns home, so she doesn’t report her missing every time she leaves,” Farrand said. “She just didn’t come back in a timely manner this time.”
During a press conference on February 20, police said Corsette, Gress, and Brandes got into a fight over missing jewelry, and the 16-year-old was beaten.
“So from the 20th through the 24th, she was beaten and tortured because they could not find this piece of jewelry,” Holloway told the audience.
Corsette was murdered sometime between February 20 and February 24, according to the police department.
According to Holloway, investigators believe Gress drove her body to another house in Largo, Fla., owned by Brandes’ mother. According to police, physical evidence found at the Largo home indicates that Corsette was dismembered there.
Gress allegedly took Corsette’s body to her Largo home before driving her remains to Hillsborough County and placing them in a dumpster.
“Detectives located the dumpster and are working to find the body,” according to the department’s statement.
Authorities received a tip from a witness about the case on March 6, and Brandes later turned herself in on the morning of March 8.
Gress and Brandes are both facing first-degree murder charges in Corsette’s death, and Gress is also facing a kidnapping charge.
Police also stated that Gress was already in custody for unrelated charges — as he was arrested on March 5 for allegedly pointing a harpoon at a domestic partner and possessing drugs — while they were investigating.
“This is a horrific crime,” Holloway said, noting that police intend to add more charges as the investigation continues. “We want to ensure that we bring justice to Miranda.”
