Mom of Man Who Dismembered Teen Over Lacking Ring Speaks as He Says He Tried to Save Her Life: Police

Chilling new particulars from the search warrant into the couple accused of preserving a 16-year-old woman captive of their house earlier than in the end killing her over a lacking ring provide horrific new particulars of her closing days.

Steve Gress, 35, who alongside along with his girlfriend Michelle Brandes, 37, have each been charged within the loss of life of Miranda Corsette, who they allegedly lured into their house after she met Gress on a web based relationship app and in the end killed her. The teenager leaves behind a one-year-old youngster.

In a police interview detailed within the warrant, as reviewed by Individuals, Gress purportedly confirmed experiences that he had despatched images of Corsette’s worsening bodily situation to folks. Because it seems, based on Gress, a kind of folks was his personal mom, Jacquelyn Kristich — who apparently did nothing in response.

One of many two males who acquired the images, per the doc, shared them with police on February 18, lower than every week earlier than Gress allegedly advised police that he and Brandes had killed Corsette.

“There was a complete of 5 images and in every {photograph} Corsette in more and more worse bodily situation,” the courtroom submitting reads. “Corsette was nude in every {photograph} and had bruises and marks on most of her physique. Within the final {photograph}, Corsette’s head was so swollen that she was virtually unrecognizable.”

Gress additionally allegedly advised police that he let Kristich know that he’d “killed Corsette and dismembered the physique.”

The warrant makes observe of the truth that neither of the 2 males, nor Gress’ mom, contacted police after receiving the images — or at any level within the two weeks after she was reported lacking. And but, all three of them reportedly admitted to police that they’d acquired the images.

Detectives detailed a purported encounter that they had with Kristich when she went to his house to choose up his parrot after his arrest. She reportedly advised them “she was conscious that her son had a historical past of killing animals and that she had acquired some textual content messages and pictures of [Corsette].” She stated, nonetheless, that she by no means checked out them.

She additional recalled her son calling her two weeks after the Tremendous Bowl and telling her “he had a woman at his home who had stolen a hoop from him.” Then, every week later he purportedly advised her “the woman was nonetheless in his home.”

In response to the doc, Kristich advised her son that “good folks do not need to know dangerous issues” and stated she couldn’t communicate with him anymore. She did say she advised her son to let the teenager go, however she by no means contacted the police about it.

A girl who was additionally dwelling on the residence first alerted police to the teenager’s homicide, purportedly saying that she was current when Corsette’s physique was dismembered, per the doc.

Gress allegedly confirmed this, whereas additionally insisting that it was Brandes who killed the woman — and that he’d really tried to save lots of her life.

“Brandes took a ball from a pool desk within the yard, put it in a sock and shoved it down Corsette’s throat after which wrapped her face in plastic wrap,” the doc reads, per Individuals. “Gress said that he advised Brandes to not cowl the nostril, however Brandes did and he could not get to Corsette fast sufficient to poke holes within the plastic earlier than she died.”

In response to a search warrant request written by the St. Petersburg Police Division and obtained by The Tampa Bay Instances, Gress admitted that he and Brandes allegedly hung out after Corsette’s loss of life celebrating Brandes’ birthday.

The doc states that the couple ate at Popeyes and performed mini-golf at Congo River in Clearwater. They then adopted that up by allegedly driving across the Tampa Bay space searching for good locations to eliminate Corsette’s physique.

In the end, police consider they settled on a dumpster close to Gress’ grandparents’ home in Ruskin; Corsette was dwelling together with her grandparents on the time of her disappearance, together with her grandmother describing the teenager as a frequent runaway to police when she reported her lacking.

The St. Petersburg Police Division believes the alleged killers caught a fortunate break with the dumpster they did select, per the warrant, as their investigation signifies it was taken to a landfill and its contents had been incinerated.

Corsette’s stays have nonetheless not been discovered, although the prosecution is transferring forward with its instances towards Gress and Brandes.

In constructing their case, prosecutors and investigators have spoken with at the very least six folks, per Fox affiliate WTVT, who declare that the couple advised them they had been abusing Corsette over that weeklong span she was with them, or that they knew in regards to the alleged abuse.

A number of neighbors reportedly advised authorities that Gress advised them about Corsette, and even boasted about hurting her. To 1, he allegedly stated, “This little bitch stole my ring and will not give it again, so I have been beating her ass.”

A girl who allegedly lived with Gress and Brandes purportedly advised investigators that Gress had a historical past of being abusive, based on the arrest warrant. This lady claimed he would go as far as to purchase animals off of Craigslist and kill them by throwing them off of a bridge.

The roommate additionally spoke out in regards to the purported lacking ring that authorities consider triggered Gress into starting the abuse of the teenager. Amid the weeklong torture, Brandes turned up with the ring. The roommate stated she believes Brandes had all of it alongside and solely pretended it was lacking/stolen so Gress would eliminate Corsette.

On February 24, Corsette’s grandmother reported her granddaughter lacking. In the midst of their investigation, detectives found that Corsette first made contact with Gress via the net relationship app Grindr on Valentine’s Day.

They decided that she had agreed to fulfill him at his home, she then returned house earlier than once more going again to his home. This time, she didn’t return.

Corsette’s grandmother “stated she usually comes house, so she would not report her lacking each time she leaves,” Farrand advised the press of the power runaway. “She simply did not come again in a well timed method this time.”

Police consider that Corsette had been staying at Gress’ house with him and his “home associate” Brandes since that point, however that on February twentieth, issues took a flip. An alleged “dispute occurred and she or he was overwhelmed,” per the discharge. That dispute was purportedly over the lacking ring, based on NDTV.

Corsette was allegedly held towards her will for greater than seven days and tortured earlier than she was killed. After her loss of life, police said that Gress put Corsette’s physique in a automobile and drove her 15 miles to a home in Largo, as detailed by Legislation & Crime, which belonged to Brande’s mom. Bodily proof from the home helped police conclude that Corsette’s physique was most definitely dismembered there, per the discharge.

Regardless of all the folks police have been speaking with regarding the ongoing investigation, Sixth Judicial Circuit State Legal professional Bruce Bartlett advised the Tampa Bay Instances that there have been no further arrests but, however stated there was a “fairly good probability of extra to return.”