Freehold Candlelight Vigil To Mark Stephanie Parze's Birthday

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, NJ — It's a day that should have been filled with laughter and balloons, birthday cake and happy surprises.

For the family of Stephanie Parze, her birthday will be a somber occasion. The Freehold Township woman would have turned 26 on Wednesday, and instead of lighting candles on a cake, her family and friends have planned a candlelight vigil to honor her memory.

The "Light Up the Night for Stephanie" candlelight walk and vigil is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Attendees will be meeting at the Freehold Borough municipal building, 51 West Main St., at 6:30 p.m. and will walk down Main Street to the Monmouth County Hall of Records for the vigil.

At the Hall of Records, there will be music and speakers. Candles will be given out, along with purple ribbons and buttons, while supplies last, her father, Ed Parze, said.

The Parze family and friends who have helped them during the searches for Stephanie and in the days after her body was found are urging Steph's Angels — the name given to the dozens of volunteers who helped search for her — to come to the vigil and participate.

Those planning to attend and participate are urged to register through a Google form for the event, to give organizers a good count on how many people will be attending.

Stephanie Parze's body was found in a wooded area along Route 9 on Jan. 26, 87 days after she was last seen by her family. Monmouth County authorities say John Ozbilgen, Parze's ex-boyfriend, killed her sometime after Parze said good night to her family about 10 p.m. on Oct. 30.

Ozbilgen was found dead by hanging at his parents' Freehold Township home on Nov. 22, two days after being released from jail to await trial on charges he had child pornography on his phone.

Stephanie Parze had filed a domestic violence charge against him about six weeks earlier that was still pending in court when she was killed. Ozbilgen had been charged with domestic violence by two other women as well, and one of those cases was pending at the time he killed himself.

Ed and Sharlene Parze have said they are creating a foundation to honor their daughter's memory that will focus on helping victims of domestic violence and helping families whose loved ones go missing. Read more: Family Creates Stephanie Parze Foundation To Honor Her Life

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