Body of Missing N.J. Woman Found 2 Months After Ex — Who Was 'Person of Interest' — Killed Himself
The body of a 25-year-old New Jersey makeup artist who vanished last October after an outing with her family was found on Sunday, authorities announced.
A tweet from the Monmouth County Prosecutor states that Stephanie Parze‘s remains were recovered in Old Bridge, and that the medical examiner confirmed her identity Monday morning.
Authorities will hold a brief press conference later on Monday.
Parze was found more than two months after her ex-boyfriend John Ozbilgen, who was a person of interest in her disappearance, was found dead at his home in November after hanging himself, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Ozbilgen’s death came just days after the 29-year-old former stockbroker was released from jail after being held for 11 days on child pornography charges unrelated to Parze’s death.
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On Sept. 23, Parze had filed a simple assault domestic violence complaint against Ozbilgen after he allegedly assaulted her, the Asbury Park Press reports.
She was last seen on the night of Oct. 30, when she visited a medium with family for a girls’ night out, her parents said at the time.
She was last heard from at about 10 p.m. when she sent a Snapchat message to her parents on her way back home.
It is with great sadness we announce that Stephanie Parze’s remains were recovered yesterday in Old Bridge. The ME confirmed her identity this morning. MCPO will hold a brief press conference later today. Thanks to @MCProsecutor and @oldbridgepd for great teamwork on this matter.
— Monmouth Prosecutor (@MonCoProsecutor) January 27, 2020
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Her parents grew worried when she failed to show up for a nanny job the next morning and then found her car, phone and purse at her residence.
She’d begun dating Ozbilgen last summer, though she’d listed her relationship status as single on her Facebook page at the time of her disappearance.
Ozbilgen sent her a stream of angry, profanity-laced texts and Facebook messages the night before she went missing, Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Caitlin Sidley said in court in November, the Asbury Park Press reported. Those messages were never returned.
Detectives searching his phone found multiple images of child pornography, Sidley said.
Ozbilgen’s attorney had said his client didn’t have the images on his phone intentionally, the Asbury Park Press reported.
RELATED: N.J. Woman, 25, Goes Missing After Visiting Medium With Family: ‘We Just Want to Find Her’
On Nov. 4, a family friend started a GoFundMe campaign to support Parze’s family during the search.
Anyone with information should contact Detective Shawn Murphy of the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-431-7160 ext. 7032, or Detective Daniel Valentine of the Freehold Township Police at 732-462-7908.
