Stephanie Parze Birthday Memorial To Be Held Virtually In 2021

FREEHOLD, NJ - A memorial to honor the life of a Monmouth County woman will be held virtually this year on what would be her 27th birthday.

Freehold native Stephanie Parze's body was found in a wooded area along Route 9 in January 2020 87 days after she was last seen by her family. Monmouth County authorities say John Ozbilgen, Parze's ex-boyfriend, killed her sometime after 10 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2019.

Ozbilgen, 29, was arrested Nov. 9 on the child pornography charge. In a Nov. 20 hearing, prosecutors told a Monmouth County judge he had multiple images of violent child pornography on his phone, according to NJ.com. The images were found when authorities seized his phone and other electronic devices during one of the searches as they investigated Parze's disappearance.

Ozbilgen was found dead by hanging on Nov. 22 at his parents' Freehold Township home. Investigators found two suicide notes at the scene, both of which were cited by Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni as final confirmation of investigators' conclusions that Ozbilgen had killed Parze.

Stephanie’s parents created the Stephanie Nicole Parze Foundation in 2019, aimed to provide education, support and intervention to those dealing with domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Father Ed Parze told NJ 101.5 that the hourlong memorial will not serve as a fundraiser, but as a way to keep Stephanie’s name and legacy alive.

The “Light Up the Night” event will take place at 7 p.m. on YouTube, slated to feature montages, music and a performance from the Freehold Township High School choir. You can join the event at 6:45 p.m. at this link. In 2020, a similar birthday event drew more than a thousand people to Main Street in Freehold.

Last October, a new bill package was introduced in the New Jersey Senate to help prevent domestic violence by increasing access to domestic violence screenings and expanding the definition of domestic violence. The package, introduced by Sen. Vin Gopal, was dedicated to the Parze family. Read more: Senate Bills Against Domestic Violence Dedicated To Parze Family