Florida teen tortured, killed by couple after dating app meetup: police

A Florida mates is down bars for allegedly utilizing an online dating app to lure a 16-year-old miss to their home, brutally torturing and murdering her earlier dismembering her remains. 

The assemblage of Miranda Corsette was discarded successful a dumpster days aft she was reported missing connected Feb. 24, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department. 

Authorities allege that Steven Gress, 35, utilized the online dating app Grindr to lure Corsette to his house, located astir 20 miles southwest of Tampa, connected Feb. 14. 

"After gathering him the archetypal time, [Corsette] went location and past the adjacent time she returned to [Gress’] home," constabulary said. 

VALENTINE'S DAY DANGERS: DATING APP KILLERS LURE LOVE-SEEKERS IN UNSUSPECTING WAYS 

Miranda Corsette smiles successful an undated photograph shared by the St. Petersburg Police Department. Corsette was allegedly murdered by a antheral she had met connected a dating app, Steven Gress, and his home partner, Michelle Brandes. (St. Petersburg Police Department)

Grindr did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment. 

Police judge that the teen, who was a predominant runaway and the parent to an 11-month-old baby, was staying astatine the location with Gress and his home partner, 37-year-old Michelle Brandes. Ten days aft she initially met the couple, Corsette’s grandmother, her superior caregiver, reported her missing to the Gulfport Police. 

"[Her grandmother] said she usually comes home, truthful she doesn't study her missing each clip she leaves," Commander Mary Farrand, acting constabulary main for the metropolis of Gulfport, said successful a property conference. "[Corsette] conscionable didn't travel backmost successful a timely mode this time."

On Feb. 20, Corsette, Gress and Brandes got into an statement implicit a missing ringing that the mates believed Corsette had stolen, according to police. 

‘DATING GAME’ SERIAL KILLER'S RISE TO FAME WAS KEY TO HIS DOWNFALL, ARRESTING OFFICER REVEALS FOR FIRST TIME 

Steven Gress is charged with kidnapping and first-degree execution for the alleged sidesplitting and dismemberment of 16-year-old Miranda Corsette successful St. Petersburg, Florida. (St. Petersburg Police Department)

Gress and Brandes allegedly tortured Corsette repeatedly implicit the people of respective days, yet causing her to suffocate by stuffing a billiard shot successful her rima and wrapping her look with integrative wrap, according to tribunal documents obtained by Fox News Digital. 

"From the 20th done the 24th, she was beaten and tortured, due to the fact that they could not find this portion of jewelry," St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway said.

Authorities judge that Corsette was killed betwixt Feb. 20 and Feb. 24. 

Following Corsette’s murder, authorities allege that Gress transported her assemblage to a location owned by Brandes’ parent successful adjacent Largo, Florida. Evidence recovered astatine the location indicated that Corsette’s assemblage had been dismembered earlier Gress drove the remains to Hillsborough County and disposed of them successful a dumpster, constabulary said. 

On March 6, a witnesser reached retired to constabulary to study a imaginable kidnapping and homicide involving a missing teen, according to authorities. 

TRANS KILLER SENTENCED FOR MURDER OF NYC ANTIQUES DEALER, DECAPITATED OKLAHOMA MAN IN SEPARATE SLAYING

Michelle Brandes turned herself successful to St. Petersburg Police and is charged with first-degree execution for the alleged slaying of 16-year-old Miranda Corsette. (St. Petersburg Police Department)

"Detectives located the dumpster and are moving to find the body," St. Petersburg constabulary said successful a statement. 

A typical from the St. Petersburg Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital that the probe into Corsette’s execution remains ongoing. 

Gress was already successful constabulary custody for weapons and cause offenses erstwhile constabulary charged him with first-degree execution and kidnapping connected March 7. The adjacent day, Brandes turned herself successful to constabulary and was subsequently charged with first-degree murder. 

"This is simply a classical lawsuit of a susceptible young woman who astir apt sought attraction online," Patrick McCall, a information adept astatine McCall Risk Group, told Fox News Digital. "This attraction came from a antheral who easy preyed connected her and who told her the close things, and she fell into his trap."

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

Gress' and Brandes’ lawyer did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital’s petition for comment. 

"This is simply a horrific crime," Holloway said. "We privation to guarantee that we bring justness to Miranda. I privation to accidental that we privation to clasp each of the liable parties accountable." 

Corsette’s execution comes arsenic predators proceed to usage online dating apps to lure victims to their deaths. 

In July 2024, a Pennsylvania antheral was arrested, having allegedly utilized Grindr to conscionable a 14-year-old transgender teenager. DaShawn Watkins, 29, is presently facing execution charges aft Pauly Likens’ dismembered remains were recovered astatine Shenango River Lake successful Clark Borough, Pennsylvania. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Earlier this year, a Virginia antheral was recovered blameworthy of utilizing dating apps to termination 2 women successful 2021. Anthony Robinson is awaiting sentencing for the murders of Beth Redmon and Tonita Smith, aft a assemblage convicted him of sidesplitting some women and dumping their bodies successful a adjacent wooded area. 

Personal information experts are informing parents to support an oculus connected their kids’ societal media usage and look for informing signs that could bespeak that they are talking to strangers online. 

"A batch of times teens are preyed upon by radical who volition represent themselves arsenic idiosyncratic their property oregon explicit similarities to them to summation their trust," McCall said. "[Some signs include] being secretive with the phone, taking telephone calls outside, hiding the phone, talking astir a caller person oregon abrupt involvement successful thing they usually wouldn’t beryllium funny successful that could subordinate to the idiosyncratic they are talking to. Usually, determination is simply a communicative oregon motion the kid volition gaffe retired successful speech oregon successful a behaviour which deviates from their mean routine."