A missing person’s case has turned into a murder investigation after authorities say a 16-year-old girl was kidnapped and killed, and her body disposed of in a dumpster.
On March 6, 2025, a witness provided police with information about the possible kidnapping and homicide of 16-year-old Miranda Corsette. Detectives determined that Corsette was lured through a social media app and met 35-year-old Steven Gress on February 14. She initially returned home but returned the next day to his duplex at 2708 27th Ave. N in St. Petersburg. She was reported missing by her Grandmother to Gulfport Police on February 24.
Police say Corsette remained at the residence with Gress and his domestic partner, 37-year-old Michelle Brandes. On February 20, an argument occurred, leading to Corsette being beaten. The argument revolved around some missing jewelry, and she was beaten and tortured, according to St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway. Sometime between February 20 and February 24, she was killed.
Gress allegedly transported her body to a residence of Brandes’s mother in the 12200 block of Mallory Drive in Largo in a vehicle with Brandes, where evidence suggests it was dismembered. The remains were then driven to Hillsborough County and placed in a dumpster at 2893 14th Avenue S.E. in Ruskin. Detectives located the dumpster and are working to recover the body.
According to arrest documentation, Gress and Brandes held Corsette against her will for 7 days and tortured her with repeated beatings. They also wrapped her face with plastic wrap, ultimately suffocating her. They believed that Corsette stole a piece of jewelry from them.
Gress is currently in custody. He was arrested on March 5 for pointing an air-powered harpoon gun loaded with two .72 caliber harpoons at Brandes and for drug possession. He now faces a kidnapping charge related to Corsette’s disappearance, and as of March 7, 2025, he was charged with first-degree murder.
According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, Brandes, the domestic partner of Gress, turned herself into police on Saturday, March 8, 2025, and is now charged with first-degree murder.
Anyone with information can contact the St. Petersburg Police Department at 727-893-7780 or text SPPD + your tip to TIP411.
Multiple agencies, including Gulfport Police, Largo Police, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, and state and federal partners, are assisting with the investigation.