Say What Now? Man Who Murdered Teen Over Missing Ring Sent Abuse Pics to His Mom, Says He Tried to Save Her Life

After Steven Gress allegedly sent photos to his mother showing 16-year-old Miranda Corsette’s deteriorating condition, including one where “she was almost unrecognizable,” and then blamed his girlfriend for her death, his mother spoke with the police.

(Warning: This story contains graphic and disturbing details of the abuse and murder of a minor)

Chilling new details from the search warrant into the couple accused of keeping a 16-year-old girl captive in their home before ultimately killing her over a missing ring offer horrific new details of her final days.

Steve Gress, 35, who along with his girlfriend Michelle Brandes, 37, have both been charged in the death of Miranda Corsette, who they allegedly lured into their home after she met Gress on an online dating app and ultimately killed her. The teen leaves behind a one-year-old child.

Victim’s Photos

In a police interview detailed in the warrant, as reviewed by People, Gress purportedly confirmed reports that he had sent photos of Corsette’s worsening physical condition to people. As it turns out, according to Gress, one of those people was his own mother, Jacquelyn Kristich — who apparently did nothing in response.

One of the two men who received the photos, per the document, shared them with police on February 18, less than a week before Gress allegedly told police that he and Brandes had killed Corsette.

“There was a total of five photographs and in each photograph Corsette looked to be in increasingly worse physical condition,” the court filing reads. “Corsette was nude in each photograph and had bruises and marks on most of her body. In the last photograph, Corsette’s head was so swollen that she was almost unrecognizable.”

Gress also allegedly told police that he let Kristich know that he’d “killed Corsette and dismembered the body.”

The warrant makes note of the fact that neither of the two men, nor Gress’ mother, contacted police after receiving the photos — or at any point in the two weeks after she was reported missing. And yet, all three of them reportedly admitted to police that they’d received the photos.

Gress’ Mother Speaks

Detectives detailed a purported encounter they had with Kristich when she went to his home to pick up his parrot after his arrest. She reportedly told them “she was aware that her son had a history of killing animals and that she had received some text messages and photographs of [Corsette].” She said, however, that she never looked at them.

She further recalled her son calling her two weeks after the Super Bowl and telling her “he had a girl at his house who had stolen a ring from him.” Then, a week later he purportedly told her “the girl was still in his house.”

According to the document, Kristich told her son that “good people don’t want to know bad things” and said she could not speak with him anymore. She did say she told her son to let the teen go, but she never contacted the police about it.

Missing Ring Untrue?

A woman who was also living at the residence first alerted police to the teen’s murder, purportedly saying that she was present when Corsette’s body was dismembered, per the document.

Gress allegedly confirmed this, while also insisting that it was Brandes who killed the girl — and that he’d actually tried to save her life.

“Brandes took a ball from a pool table in the backyard, put it in a sock and shoved it down Corsette’s throat and then wrapped her face in plastic wrap,” the document reads, per People. “Gress stated that he told Brandes not to cover the nose, but Brandes did and he couldn’t get to Corsette quick enough to poke holes in the plastic before she died.”

Party After Murder

According to a search warrant request written by the St. Petersburg Police Department and obtained by The Tampa Bay Times, Gress admitted that he and Brandes allegedly spent time after Corsette’s death celebrating Brandes’ birthday.

The document states that the couple ate at Popeyes and played mini-golf at Congo River in Clearwater. They then followed that up by allegedly driving around the Tampa Bay area looking for good places to dispose of Corsette’s body.

Ultimately, police believe they settled on a dumpster near Gress’ grandparents’ house in Ruskin; Corsette was living with her grandparents at the time of her disappearance, with her grandmother describing the teen as a frequent runaway to police when she reported her missing.

The St. Petersburg Police Department believes the alleged killers caught a lucky break with the dumpster they did choose, per the warrant, as their investigation indicates it was taken to a landfill and its contents were incinerated.

Corsette’s remains have still not been found, though the prosecution is moving ahead with its cases against Gress and Brandes.

Boasting About Abuse

In building their case, prosecutors and investigators have spoken with at least six people, per Fox affiliate WTVT, who claim that the couple told them they were abusing Corsette over that weeklong span she was with them, or that they knew about the alleged abuse.

Multiple neighbors reportedly told authorities that Gress told them about Corsette, and even boasted about hurting her. To one, he allegedly said, “This little bitch stole my ring and won’t give it back, so I’ve been beating her ass.”

A woman who allegedly lived with Gress and Brandes purportedly told investigators that Gress had a history of being abusive, according to the arrest warrant. This woman claimed he would go so far as to buy animals off of Craigslist and kill them by throwing them off of a bridge.

The roommate also spoke out about the purported missing ring that authorities believe triggered Gress into beginning the abuse of the teen. Amid the weeklong torture, Brandes turned up with the ring. The roommate said she believes Brandes had it all along and only pretended it was missing/stolen so Gress would get rid of Corsette.

Corsette’s Death

On February 24, Corsette’s grandmother reported her granddaughter missing. In the course of their investigation, detectives discovered that Corsette first made contact with Gress through the online dating app Grindr on Valentine’s Day.

They determined that she had agreed to meet him at his house, she then returned home before again going back to his house. This time, she did not return.

Corsette’s grandmother “said she normally comes home, so she doesn’t report her missing every time she leaves,” Farrand told the press of the chronic runaway. “She just didn’t come back in a timely manner this time.”

Police believe that Corsette had been staying at Gress’ home with him and his “domestic partner” Brandes since that time, but that on February 20th, things took a turn. An alleged “dispute occurred and she was beaten,” per the release. That dispute was purportedly over the missing ring, according to NDTV.

Corsette was allegedly held against her will for more than seven days and tortured before she was killed. After her death, police stated that Gress put Corsette’s body in a car and drove her 15 miles to a house in Largo, as detailed by Law & Crime, which belonged to Brande’s mother. Physical evidence from the house helped police conclude that Corsette’s body was most likely dismembered there, per the release.

Despite all of the people police have been talking with in regards to the ongoing investigation, Sixth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Bruce Bartlett told the Tampa Bay Times that there have been no additional arrests yet, but said there was a “pretty good likelihood of more to come.”

via: TooFab

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