Tampa Family Suing Dating App After Teen Daughter Murdered

A Tampa family is suing a well-known dating app after their daughter was murdered while using the service. The 16-year-old was murdered by two people in their 30s, and the family claims that this tragedy could have been prevented. This could prove to be a major wrongful death lawsuit in Tampa, and it may have implications across the dating app industry.

Family Says “LGBTQ+ Dating App” Lacked Safeguards

 In February of 2025, the 16-year-old victim met up with a 35-year-old man through an “LGBTQ+” dating app. The murderer then held the victim against her will and tortured her to death. Both the man and a female accomplice are facing first-degree murder charges for the incident, and prosecutors have indicated that they want to pursue the death penalty.

However, the family is not satisfied with the fact that their daughter’s murderers will probably get the death penalty. They also believe that the dating app itself is partially responsible for the murder, and they say that the service lacked crucial safeguards that would have protected the teen. One of the major shortcomings of these apps is their inability to filter out minors. All a teen really needs to do is lie about their age, and they can instantly meet up with much older (and potentially dangerous) people.

According to the lawsuit, however, similar dating apps have adopted “industry-standard” age-verification methods. Many apps have also introduced GPS tracking features, allowing potential victims to be located by law enforcement much faster. The family is seeking $750,000 in damages.

The teen was only reported missing ten full days after her disappearance. The child also left behind an 11-month-old baby, and it is clear that she experienced a difficult upbringing before passing away. Police eventually determined that she lived with her grandmother. When questioned about why she didn’t report the teen missing sooner, the grandmother stated that the teen had a habit of staying away for days – and she had simply given up reporting her missing after every one of these incidents.

Police say that the murder stemmed from an argument over a missing ring, which the murderous couple believed the teenager had stolen. They subsequently beat and tortured the victim while questioning her about the missing ring.

Some allege that this LGBTQ+ dating app actually views a “no questions asked” policy as a feature – not a bug. New technology makes it possible to estimate the age of users by analyzing photos with AI.

Can a Wrongful Death Lawyer in Tampa Help Me? 

Although some degree of caution is required when using dating apps, users should not face unnecessary safety risks. The companies behind dating apps have a duty of care to take basic steps, especially if young teenagers are able to access these services without any safeguards. Discuss a potential wrongful death lawsuit in more detail with a Tampa wrongful death attorney at Anderson & Anderson today.

Sources: 

abcactionnews.com/news/region-pinellas/miranda-corsette-family-of-gulfport-teen-who-was-tragically-murdered-is-suing-grindr

nbcnews.com/news/us-news/executor-estate-slain-florida-teen-sues-grindr-protect-minors-rcna211407