By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-03-09 22:31:32 | Updated at 2025-03-10 04:22:25
6 hours ago
A missing Florida teen was brutally tortured and dismembered after she met up with a man more than twice her age for Valentine's Day.
Miranda Corsette, 16, is said to have met 35-year-old Steven Gress on a dating app, and the two got together to celebrate Valentine's Day on February 15, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway announced at a news conference on Friday.
Gress picked Corsette up from her Gulfport home and took her to his house, spending the day together before Gress took her back home that evening, Holloway said, according to Fox 13.
But the next day, authorities say the teen returned to Gress' home on her own.
By February 24, Corsette's grandmother - who took care of and homeschooled the teen after her parents died - reported her missing.
'We are very familiar with Miranda,' Commander Mary Farrand, the acting police chief for the city of Gulfport said.
The commander said the the teen is also the mother of an 11-month-old baby.
'She is a frequent runaway and she has a history of mental health issues as well as drug abuse,' she said.
'The grandmother is her primary caregiver at this time. She said she normally comes home, so she doesn't report her missing every time she leaves. She just didn't come back in a timely manner this time.'
Miranda Corsette, 16, a mother-of-one, was tortured and dismembered after she met up with a man more than twice her age for Valentine's Day
Steven Gress, 35, and his domestic partner, Michelle Brandes, 37, are charged with first-degree murder, with Gress facing an additional charge for kidnapping
Police now say Corsette remained with Gress and his domestic partner, Michelle Brandes, 37, for several days.
Then, on February 20, the couple suspected Corsette stole a ring from them and they started to torture the girl, according to an affidavit obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.
Gress and Brandes 'held the victim against her will for more than seven days and tortured her repeatedly, beating the victim and eventually stuffing a billiard ball into her mouth and wrapping her face with plastic wrap, causing her to suffocate,' it says.
Once the teen was dead, police say Gress put Corsette's body in a car and drove to Brandes' mother's home.
Evidence police obtained there indicated that Corsette's body was dismembered, then driven to Hillsborough County where it was placed in a dumpster.
Detectives have since located the dumpster but have not yet located Corsette's remains, which officers now believe are in a landfill somewhere.
Gress and Brandes are now both facing first-degree murder charges, with Gress facing an additional kidnapping charge.
He was already in custody at Pinellas County Jail at the time of his arrest last week on an aggravated assault charge for allegedly pointing a harpoon at Brandes.
St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway noted that the investigation is still underway, as he suggested more charges may be coming
Gress was also charged in that incident with resisting arrest and possession of marijuana and methamphetamine.
He is now being held without bail, and records obtained by the Tampa Bay Times indicate that an assistant public defender has been appointed to represent him. That public defender has since entered a not guilty plea on Gress's behalf.
Meanwhile, Brandes turned herself into police on Saturday and is also being held without bond. It is unclear whether she has retained an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
But the investigation is still continuing, Holloway said as he suggested more charges may be coming.
'This is a horrific crime,' he said at the news conference.
'We are still investigating and we want to make sure we bring justice for Miranda,' the police chief said, vowing: 'We will look at every piece of evidence we can find.'
'I want to say we want to hold all responsible parties accountable,' he added.
