Facebook/Stephanie Parze John Ozbilgen and Stephanie Parze pictured together.
John Ozbilgen, the person of interest in the disappearance of Stephanie Parze in Staten Island, is dead at the age of 29. At the time of his death, Ozbilgen had not been charged with a crime in relation to Stephanie Parze’s case.
The Monmouth County prosecutor’s office had classified Ozbilgen as a person of interest in the disappearance of Parze, 25. A statement from the prosecutor’s office on the morning of November 22 read, “John Ozbilgen found deceased at his Freehold home this morning. We do not believe his death was suspicious at this time. Ozbilgen was recently released from jail after being charged with Possession of Child Pornography. The investigation remains active more to follow.”
Parze was last seen on October 30 when she dropped her parents off at their home in New Jersey. At the time of writing, Parze has not been found. The search for the missing 25-year-old is centered around a park in Staten Island and Monmouth County. Cell phone records indicate that Parze was in Staten Island on the night that she vanished.
NJ.com reported on November 20 that 175 people were searching for Parze in the Michael J. Tighe Park in Freehold.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Stephanie Parze’s Parents Said They Met John Ozbilgen a ‘Couple of Times’
Handout
Her parents, Ed and Sharlene, told NBC New York, that Parze had been out at a family event with her parents and three sisters in New Brunswick prior to her disappearance. The family had been visiting a psychic medium. Parze was living with in her grandmother’s home in the Freehold Township since 2018 when her grandmother passed away. Parze’s last social media activity was a Snapchat photo of her night out with her family from October 30. Her phone was found on the couch of her home and her car was in the driveway. Ed Parze said that he and his wife had only met Ozbilgen in passing on a couple of occasions.
Facebook/Stephanie Marze
The New York Post reported on November 20 that Ozbilgen had sent Parze abusive text messages on the night she vanished. In one text, Ozbilgen told Parze she was a “F*****g c**t” and that she “always had to make their relationship suck.” Ozbilgen had sent Parze ten unanswered messages.
2. John Ozbilgen’s Cause of Death Was Suicide by Hanging
Facebook/Stephanie Parze
Reporter Monica Guy tweeted that Ozbilgen is “dead by suicide.” Ozbilgen hanged himself. News12’s Jim Murdoch reported that there was “police activity and ambulances” outside of Ozbilgen’s home in the Freehold Township in New Jersey on the morning of November 22. Ozbilgen lived along Kings Mountain Road in the township.
On November 8, Ozbilgen was arrested on child porn charges that were unrelated to Parze’s disappearance. Ozbilgen was released when a judge ruled that the one count he was being held on, was not enough for him to remain detained. The child pornography was discovered by authorities while they searched Ozbilgen’s home in relation to Parze’s disappearance, reports the Asbury Park Press. In total, Ozbilgen spent 11 days in jail. His lawyer maintained that Ozbilgen did not possess the child pornography “intentionally.”
Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Caitlin Sidley told the newspaper that investigators found images of children as young as 3 being sexually abused by adult men. Sidley said the suspect’s “violence against women is borne out in his history, as well as pornography he seeks out of very young children. There are no conditions that can keep this community safe.” A hearing on the child pornography charges had been set for December 17.
3. Ozbilgen Was Accused of Abusing Parze on Multiple Occasions
Parze and Ozbilgen had previously dated with her accusing him of physical abuse on multiple occasions. In September 2019, Ozbilgen was arrested and accused of hitting Parze in the head. While in June 2019, NBC New York reports that Ozbilgen had caused Parze “minor injury and pain” during an assault.
The Asbury Park Press reports that Parze had told friends that she was in fear for her life due to Ozbilgen’s repeated attempts to contact her. The newspaper also reported that Ozbilgen had a restraining order placed against him, stemming from a previous relationship.
4. Ozbilgen Was Arrested for Illegally Selling Prescription Drugs in 2009
Ozbilgen worked as a stockbroker but had been fired following his arrest for child pornography possession. The Asbury Park Press reported that a judge had ordered the suspect to find employment.
In 2010, Ozbilgen was arrested and accused of illegally selling prescription drugs in Staten Island. Ozbilgen and a group were arrested at a PetSmart by police. Ozbilgen’s mother told the Staten Island Advance at the time that her son was “shopping for crickets for lizards.”
Parze is a makeup artist who worked at the European Wax Center in Freehold until July 2019. Parze graduated from cosmetology school. She had also been working as a nanny. Speaking to the Asbury Park Press, family members described her as a “tough and caring artist.”
5. Ed Parze Has Said Their Family’s Traditional Christmas Display Would Not Go Ahead Until His Daughter Returned Home
The search for Stephanie Parze is in its second day. Volunteers heading out now from the Abundant Life Church of God in Freehold to search wooded areas near where Parze’s home. @njdotcom
During the search for his daughter, Ed Parze told NJ.com, “Time is of the essence.” He added, “It’s bittersweet. You want to find something but you don’t want to find something… All we can do is let the police do their job. This has been a terrible event. You don’t realize how bad it is until you’re living it. The nights are the worst.” While a friend of Parze’s, Russell White, described the missing woman as being able to “take the hardest grain of salt and turn it into the softest. That’s how she is.” Edward Parze is a 37-year member of the Freehold Rescue Squad.
I’m on scene at the residence of John D. Ozbilgen who, according to other media, reports has taken his own life. There’s a heavy police presence. Ozbilgen was named by authorities as a person of interest into the disappearance of Stephanie Parze.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the Parze family and their search for Stephanie. At the time of writing, the page has raised $11,000. The original goal was $5,000. The description on that page says that Parze’s disappearance comes at a time when the family was already “struggling.”
Ed Parze told News12 that his family’s tradition of employing up to 40,000 lights on their home as part of a Christmas lights display would not go ahead until his daughter returned home.
READ NEXT: Teenage Porn Star Controversy Rocks California High School