Stephanie’s Sanctuary offer hope for NJ domestic violence victims

The Stephanie Parze Foundation honors the memory of the 25-year-old

She was in an abusive relationship that police say led to her death

No one was ever charged with Stephanie's death

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — A unique facility for victims of domestic violence opened Monday.

The Stephanie Parze Foundation has turned the tragedy of her death into an opportunity to help other victims.

After returning from a night out with her family in October 2019, the 19-year-old went missing.

Eventually, Parze's body was found on Jan. 26, 2020, along Route 9 near the Grand Marquis in Old Bridge.

A few months before the gruesome discovery, boyfriend John Ozbilgen hanged himself while facing charges of child pornography as his violent past with both Parze and another woman came to light. Authorities never got the chance to charge Ozbilgen with Parze's disappearance or death.

Stephanie's Sanctuary

The Stephanie Foundation opened its first "Stephanie's Sanctuary" at Freehold Township police headquarters. It is a place for victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse to have a safe, secure, nonthreatening and comfortable space at police departments and other facilities throughout New Jersey.

Stephanie's father Ed, who lives in Freehold Township,  told New Jersey 101.5 that it was far different than the usual experience in which victims are usually held in unwelcoming interrogation rooms, hallways or lobbies.

"Stephanie Sanctuary provides a secure space, totally renovated, calming, soothing colors, comfortable furniture, little things like tissues, water, snacks, little toys for kids if they should bring kids in change of clothing, if they should have to do that or forensics should have to take clothing from them for evidence," Parze said.

"There's informational brochures and information from the advocates. It also gives the advocates and a police officer a place to come into where they're walking into a different type of situation. The person is more relaxed than they were when they were first brought them in. They're not afraid anymore."

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Turning issues into solutions

Parze says that once a department agrees to creating a sanctuary a team from the foundation will assess the space and look at what they can do to improve the room. There is no cost to a department to create a sanctuary.

"Like the room we just did in Freehold Township, it is probably going to cost us just under $5,000. We have allocated funds for this project through our fundraising efforts and also through a state grant, so we are ready to do up to five or six different locations this year," Parze said.

He hopes to create sanctuary locations in courthouses and hospitals.

Last year, the foundation donated a portable dental X-ray machine to the New Jersey State Police Forensic Anthropology Unit. The donated "Sparze," a German shepherd search and cadaver K9, to the NJSP Special Operations Unit.

"We knew that the K9 units were such a big, important part of our searches and we know that part of our mission is to help support the families of missing persons. And when we had to sit there and wait to find out about identification and just waiting all those 87 days, the unknown is killing it. The donation of the canine speeds that process up. They find someone, the X-ray machine can identify them immediately. That brings closure to the family that much quicker," Parze said.

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