The Florida couple is behind a bar that is allegedly using an online dating app to seduce a 16-year-old girl into her home.
Miranda Corsett's body was dumped in a trash bin after it was reported missing on February 24, according to St. Petersburg police.
Authorities claim that 35-year-old Stephen Gress used the online dating app Grindr to lure a corset to his home, located about 20 miles southwest of Tampa on February 14.
“After meeting him for the first time [Corsette] He went home and the next day she returned to [Gress’] Home,” police said.
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Miranda Corsett smiles at the undated photo shared by the St. Petersburg Police Station. The corset is said to have been murdered by dating app Stephen Gres and his domestic partner, Michelle Brandes. (St. Petersburg Police Station)
Grindr did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Fox News Digital.
Police believe that the frequently out-of-control teenager, whose mother gave birth to an 11-month-old baby, stayed at home with Gres and his domestic partner, 37-year-old Michelle Brandes. Ten days after she first met the couple, her main caregiver, Corsett's grandmother, reported that she had gone missing to Gulfport police.
“[Her grandmother] She said she would normally go home so she wouldn't report that she was missing every time she left, “Gulfport Police Chief Commander Mary Farlan said at a press conference.[Corsette] This time it just didn't come back in a timely manner. ”
Police say on February 20th, Corsett, Gres and Brandes began a debate over a missing ring that the couple believed had been stolen.
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Stephen Gress is charged with temptation and first-degree murder on suspicion of murder and demolition of 16-year-old Miranda Corsett in St. Petersburg, Florida. (St. Petersburg Police Station)
According to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital, Gress and Brandes repeatedly tortured their corsets over several days, eventually suffocating them by stuffing billiard balls into their mouths and wrapping them in plastic wrap.
“From the 20th to the 24th, she was beaten and tortured because she couldn't find this gem,” said Anthony Holloway, the Chief of Police of St. Petersburg.
Authorities believe the corset was killed between February 20th and February 24th.
Following the corsett murder, authorities allege that Gres carried her body to a home owned by Brandes' mother in Largo, Florida. Evidence found at his home showed that Gres drove the body to Hillsboro County and the corset body fell apart before disposing it in a trash can, police said.
Authorities said on March 6, witnesses contacted police to report possible killings and murders involving missing teens.
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Michel Brandes surrenders to the St. Petersburg police and is charged with first-degree murder on suspicion of murder of 16-year-old Miranda Corsett. (St. Petersburg Police Station)
“Detectives are working to find the trash cans and find the body,” St. Petersburg police said in a statement.
Representatives from the St. Petersburg Police Station confirmed with Fox News Digital that investigation into the corset murder remains ongoing.
Gres was already in police custody for weapons and drug crimes when police charged with first-degree murder and trickery on March 7th. The next day, Brandes surrendered herself to the police and was later charged with first-degree murder.
“This is a classic case of a vulnerable young woman who is likely to have attracted attention online,” Patrick McCall, security expert at McCall Risk Group, told Fox News Digital. “This attention came from a man who easily preyed on her and told her the right thing. She fell into his trap.”
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Gress'and Brandes' attorneys did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
“This is a horrible crime,” Holloway said. “We want to assure Miranda that we will bring justice. We want to say we want to hold all the responsible parties accountable.”
Corset murders are because predators continue to use them Online Dating App Invites the victim to death.
In July 2024, a Pennsylvania man was arrested and allegedly used Grindr to meet a 14-year-old transgender teenager. Dashawn Watkins, 29, is currently facing murder charges after the discovery of the ruins of Paulie's Lilabali at Lake Shenango River in the Clark District of Pennsylvania.
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Earlier this year, a Virginia man was convicted of using a dating app to kill two women in 2021. Anthony Robinson awaits the verdict in the murders of Bethredmon and Tonita Smith.
Personal safety experts keep an eye on children's use of social media and warn parents to look for warning signs that indicate they are talking to strangers online.
“In many cases, teens are preyed by people who portray themselves as their age or express similarities to them in order to gain their trust,” McCall said. “[Some signs include] They talk about their phones being kept secret and suddenly interested in making calls outside, hiding their phones, and not having any interest in new friends or anything related to who they are talking to. Usually there are stories and signatures where children slip away with conversations and behaviors that deviate from their normal routines. ”
