Missing N.J. Woman's Ex Who Sent Angry Texts the Night She Vanished Dies by Suicide
John Ozbilgen, who was a person of interest in the disappearance of ex-girlfriend Stephanie Parze, was found dead at his home Friday morning after hanging himself, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.
Ozbilgen’s death comes 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 the 25-year-old Parze’s death.
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.
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.
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She’d begun dating Ozbilgen over the summer, though she’d listed her relationship status as single on her Facebook page.
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 Monday, the Asbury Park Press reported.
Detectives searching his phone found multiple images of child pornography, Sidley said.
“He had 10 separate victims in those images that were on his phone,” Sidley said, News 12 New Jersey reports. “Ten separate babies, 10 separate toddlers, young children who were sexually exploited or assaulted for his and others’ gratification.”
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Ozbilgen’s attorney had said his client didn’t have the images on his phone intentionally, the Asbury Park Press reported.
Parze remains missing.
On Nov. 4, a family friend started a GoFundMe campaign to support Parze’s family during the search.
Anyone with information, or anyone who has had contact with Parze, 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.
