ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg police confirmed the body of a teen who was reportedly killed by a man who lured her through social media, tortured and dismembered her was incinerated at a waste facility.
Miranda Corsette, 16, went missing in February. Then, on March 6, a witness came forward to police with information about a possible kidnapping and homicide involving a missing teen.
Detectives reportedly learned Coresette was contacted by 35-year-old Steven Gress on social media, primarily using the Grindr app.
St. Pete Police Chief Anthony Holloway said that on Feb. 14, Gress went to Miranda’s home, picked her up and took her to his duplex on 27th Avenue North.
After the first meeting, police say he took Miranda back to her home. However, she returned to his home the next day.
Through tips and further investigation, detectives learned there was “some type of dispute over some missing jewelry” at the house on Feb. 20, according to Holloway.
Holloway added that from Feb. 20-24, Miranda was “beaten, tortured because they could not find this piece of jewelry.” As a result, detectives believe that Miranda was killed during that time frame.
Gress — along with his “domestic partner,” Michelle Brandes — put the 16-year-old’s body in the car and drove her to a house on Mallory Drive in Largo, according to police.
Largo detectives were able to find evidence that Miranda was “dismembered” at that location. Then the couple drove her down to Ruskin where they dumped her body into a dumpster, according to Holloway.
Despite efforts to find the teen’s body, which they believed was “possibly in a landfill,” on March 13, police confirmed the trash from the dumpster Miranda’s body was discarded in was taken to the Falkenberg Transfer Center and then to the incinerator.
Police previously confirmed that Miranda had an 11-month-old baby, although no other information was provided.
Gress was already in custody for “pointing a harpoon gun” at Brandes and for possession of drugs. Charged initially with kidnapping, Gress is also charged with first-degree murder.
Over the weekend, police confirmed Brandes turned herself in. She is also charged with first-degree murder.
10 Tampa Bay’s Christ Hurst and Hadia Moosvi contributed to this report.