Docs Reveal Brutal Way 16-Year-Old Was Killed After Allegedly Being Lured by Couple on Dating App

Content warning: This article contains disturbing descriptions.

A Florida couple is accused of murdering a 16-year-old girl they allegedly lured through a dating app by stuffing a billiard ball in her mouth and wrapping her face in plastic, an arrest affidavit reveals.

Steven Gress, 35, and Michelle Brandes, 37, are both charged with first-degree in murder and kidnapping in connection with the death of Miranda Corsette, according to Pinellas County court records.

In a statement, police in St. Petersburg, Fla., said that Corsette’s body was found dismembered in a dumpster on March 7, over a week after she was reported missing by her grandmother in Gulfport, Miss., on Feb. 24.

Police alleged that Gress used a dating app to lure Corsette to his home in St. Petersburg on Feb. 14.

In an arrest affidavit, police allege that Gress and Brandes held Corsette captive for seven days and repeatedly beat her. The affidavit states that they believed the teen had stolen a ring.

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After a week of torture, police claim the defendants finally stuffed the billiard ball in to Corsette’s mouth and wrapped her head with plastic wrap, causing her to suffocate.

Court records indicate that Gress pleaded not guilty. It is not immediately clear if Brandes has entered a plea.

St. Petersburg police Chief Anthony Holloway said Corsette was the mother of an 11-month-old baby and lived with her grandmother. Both of her parents were deceased. Corsette was homeschooled, Holloway said.