Family of missing Freehold woman organizes volunteer search for her

Friends and family of a missing Freehold woman spent the day searching a Monmouth County park for any sign of her.
The search for Stephanie Parze Wednesday in Freehold’s Michael Tighe Park was organized by Parze’s father, Ed. The volunteer search is separate from law enforcement searches that have been going on inside a Staten Island park. Those searches were organized by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, along with the NYPD.
More than 200 volunteers took part in Wednesday’s search, with some people coming from as far away as Maryland and Connecticut. Michael Tighe Park is one of five areas that Ed Parze said that he hoped to cover Wednesday and Thursday to look for his daughter.
Parze went missing Oct. 30 after she was last seen leaving a family gathering. Her family says that she posted a video on Snapchat while she was driving home, and that was the last communication anyone ever had with her.
Police have named Parze’s ex-boyfriend John Ozbilgen as a person of interest in the case. It was due to a search warrant on Ozbilgen’s phone that police focused their search on Staten Island.
Although Ozbilgen is not facing any charges related to Parze’s disappearance, authorities say that they did find child pornography on Ozbilgen’s phone. He is facing a third-degree child pornography charge and spent 11 days in jail. A judge released him on Tuesday, following a hearing.
It was during that hearing that it was learned that Ozbilgen sent Parze several angry, profanity-laced text messages on the night she disappeared. Prosecutors say that he also has marks on his neck when he was questioned by police three days later.
Police were seen watching Ozbilgen’s home and monitoring his activities on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Ed Parze is pleading with the public – asking that if anyone has information about his daughter’s disappearance to please contact the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
Monmouth County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $10,000 as a reward for information about the case.