Wake Today For Stephanie Parze In Freehold: 'She's Coming Home'
FREEHOLD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – Family and friends will begin paying their respects to Stephanie Parze today New Jersey.
Earlier this week, the 25-year-old Freehold woman's remains were found in Old Bridge, and prosecutors officially named her ex-boyfriend John Ozbilgen as her killer.
Parze was reported missing when she didn't show up for work on Oct. 30.
"We identified 29-year-old John Ozbilgen as a person of interest early on in our investigation, based largely on his on-and-off nature of his relationship with Stephanie and a number of social media notifications that we were made aware of," Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni announced Monday.
WATCH: Stephanie Parze's Father Speaks After Remains Found
Over the course of the investigation, Ozbilgen was arrested on unrelated child pornography charges. Weeks later, he took his own life at his Freehold home.
"In the note, Ozbilgen stated he had had enough and that he could not do life in prison. He also admitted that what his parents would hear in the news was true, except for charges of child pornography," Gramiccioni said. "Ozbilgen acknowledged that he had dug himself a deep hole and wrote at the end of his note that this was the only choice."
Parze's heartbroken parents attended Monday's announcement, where her father thanked "Steph's Angels" for tirelessly searching for their daughter.
"It goes without saying that our family is devastated," Ed Parze said. "However, Stephanie is home. She's coming home at last, right where she belongs. We have God to thank for that."
The medical examiner is still working to determine how Parze died. Prosecutors said Ozbilgen had a history of assaulting her.
Her wake is scheduled for 3 to 8 p.m. Thursday at St. Rose of Lima R.C. Church Chapel on Lincoln Place in Freehold, and her funeral will be held there at 10 a.m. Friday.
In lieu of flowers, her family asks that donations be made to 180 Turning Lives Around, a domestic violence shelter in Hazlet, New Jersey. Click here to share your condolences.
Domestic Abuse Resources: Where To Get Help
National Domestic Violence Hotline
P.O. Box 161810
Austin TX, 78716
Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), or 1-800-787-3224 (TTY). Advocates who are deaf are available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (PST) by videophone (855-812-1001), instant messenger (DeafHotline) or email (deafhelp@thehotline.org).
New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women
1670 Whitehorse Hamilton Square
Trenton, NJ 08690
Hotline: 1 (800) 572-7233 TTY: (800) 787-3224
Office: (609) 584-8107 Fax: (609) 584-9750
Website: www.njcbw.org
New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
119 Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor
Albany, NY 12210
Hotline NYS: 1 (800) 942-6906
Hotline NYC: 1 (800) 621-4673
Office: (518) 482-5465 Fax: (518) 482-3807
Website: www.nyscadv.org
The Safe Center LI, Inc.
15 Grumman Road West, Suite 1000
Bethpage, NY 11714
Hotline: 516-542-0404
Phone: 516-465-4700
Fax: 516-465-4740
info@tscli.org
Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence
912 Silas Deane Highway, Lower Level
Wethersfield, CT 06109
Hotline: (888) 774-2900
Office: (860) 282-7899 Fax: (860) 282-7892
Website: www.ctcadv.org
