Several people knew missing Gulfport teen was being held captive before her murder: Documents
New details in death of Gulfport teen
A search warrant affidavit obtained by the Tampa Bay Times shows that six people knew 16-year-old Miranda Corsette was being held captive before her death, but never called 911. FOX 13's Jordan Bowen reports.
GULFPORT, Fla. - In the week before 16-year-old Miranda Corsette was killed, six people saw or knew the teen was being held captive and tortured but never called 911, according to a search warrant affidavit obtained by the Tampa Bay Times.
Big picture view:
Steve Gress, 35, and Michelle Brandes, 37, are charged with Corsette's murder. In the 25-page affidavit, it says that three people, including Gress’ mother, later admitted to police that he’d sent them photos of the girl that showed her nude, bruised and in increasingly worse physical condition.
Pictured: Miranda Corsette. Courtesy: Gulfport Police Department.
Dig deeper:
Later in the affidavit, a woman interviewed by police who lived in the first floor apartment with Gress and Brandes told police how the two suffocated the teen girl and how the three of them drove the girl's body to Brandes' mother's house, where Gress and Brandes dismembered her.
Pictured: Steve Gress and Michelle Brandes. Courtesy: Pinellas County Jail.
"She had called me, my tenant, and she says there's something going on down there. There was arguing and fighting and, you know, they would do that," said David Horton, who owns the duplex where the couple lived.
PREVIOUS: Missing Gulfport teen killed, dismembered after meeting man on dating app: Police
The affidavit shows Gress told police in jail that "this was never supposed to happen" and blamed Brandes for causing Miranda’s death. Later, it says Brandes depicted Gress as the main aggressor and told detectives she feared being beaten by him and therefore was too afraid to tell police.
What they're saying:
"This is a horrific crime. We are still investigating it. We want to assure that we bring justice to Miranda. The investigators are looking at every piece of evidence that we can find," St. Pete Police Chief Anthony Holloway said in March.
The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jordan Bowen.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
- Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
- Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
- Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
- Download the SkyTower Radar app
- Sign up for FOX 13’s daily newsletter