What to Know
- A man accused of possessing child pornography is a "person of interest" in the case of a 25-year-old NJ, law enforcement sources say
- John Ozbilgen, 29 and of Freehold Township, was arrested at his home Friday and charged with possession of child porn, prosecutors say
- However, sources say Ozbilgen is also considered a person of interest in the disappearance of Stephanie Parze, missing since Halloween Eve
A man accused of possessing child pornography is a "person of interest" in the case of a 25-year-old New Jersey woman missing since Halloween Eve, law enforcement sources say.
John Ozbilgen, 29 and of Freehold Township, was arrested at his home Friday and charged with possession of child pornography, according to Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni. If convicted of the charge, Ozbilgen faces up to five years in prison.
However, law enforcement sources say Ozbilgen is also considered a person of interest in the disappearance of Stephanie Parze, also of Freehold Township.
Parze vanished without a trace after joining her family for a night out in New Brunswick on Oct. 30, parents Sharlene and Ed told News 4 earlier this week. The 25-year-old kissed her mother goodbye after dropping them off at their place that night and headed for her home about 10 miles away, where she lives alone with her dog. She hasn’t been heard from since that night.
Her car was still in the driveway, her clothing from that night in her home, along with her phone. Multiple lights were on; there was no sign of a struggle. Only her dog, Jazmine, was in the house. And her parents are desperate for answers.
“It was like a perfect, perfect night and everybody had a good time,” said mom Sharlene Parze, adding her daughter was in “such a good mood” the night they went out.
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The last contact her mother had from Stephanie was a Snapchat she sent not far from her home in Freehold Township, in Monmouth County. Her parents say it is completely unlike her to disappear without reaching out to them.
“Definitely not like her. If she can get to me, she would,” father Ed Parze said. "Not knowing is the worst, not knowing is the worst. All we can hope for is that she’s alive and OK the things that go through my head is horrible. Horrible."
Stephanie Parze is a makeup artist who had just started another job as a nanny just two weeks ago. Dozens of Monmouth County and Freehold Township detectives are looking into her disappearance, with posters put up all over town in hopes of someone coming forward with any information.
Sources did not specify if Parze and Ozbilgen knew each other.
Attorney information for Ozbilgen was not immediately known.
