ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WSVN) – A Florida man has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing and dismemberment of a 16-year-old girl he met through a social media app, police said.
According to St. Petersburg Police, Miranda Corsette was lured by 35-year-old Steven Gress to his home on Feb. 14 after meeting him online. She initially returned home but went back to his residence the following day. She was reported missing to Gulfport Police on Feb. 24.
Investigators say Corsette remained at the duplex Gress shared with his domestic partner, 37-year-old Michelle Brandes.
A dispute on Feb. 20 led to Corsette being beaten, and sometime between Feb. 20 and Feb. 24, she was killed, police said.
Gress allegedly transported Corsette’s body to a home in Largo, where evidence suggests it was dismembered.
The remains were then taken to Hillsborough County and discarded in a dumpster in Ruskin, authorities said. Detectives are working to recover the body.
Gress, already in jail on unrelated charges, was charged with kidnapping in Corsette’s disappearance before being charged with first-degree murder.
Brandes turned herself in on Saturday and is also facing a first-degree murder charge.
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