Search underway on Staten Island in connection to disappearance of Stephanie Parze
STATEN ISLAND (WABC) -- Authorities are conducting a search on Staten Island in connection to a missing woman from New Jersey.
Stephanie Parze, 25, was last seen Oct. 30 after she spent a night out with family to see a psychic.
On Wednesday afternoon, the search intensified as teams swarmed the northwest corner of Long Pond Park.
Bloodhounds were used to find any clues in Parze's disappearance.
Just last week, a man believed to be a person of interest in her disappearance was taken into custody on unrelated charges.
Authorities say Parze's ex-boyfriend, John Ozbilgen, was arrested on child porn charges after police searched his home in connection to Parze's disappearance.
It appears police also have evidence that he was in the park that night she disappeared.
The Parze house in Freehold usually lights up the neighborhood during the holidays to raise money for charities, but not this year after Stephanie vanished.
"If we find her, I'll light this place up like we never saw before," said her father Ed Parze.
"We wait for the phone call and hope that they find her, but the unknown is killng us," said her mother Sharlene Parze.
Stephanie, a makeup artist, dropped her family off at their house the night she disappeared and then headed to her own place, not far away.
"She gave me three kisses good bye and I just told her to call me or text me when she gets home and I never heard from her," said Sharlene. "And all the text messages and calls I tried to reach out to her, there was never any response which was not like her. "Whoever has her, please let her go. Please, we want our baby back."
Parze is described as petite in size, standing 4 feet 11 inches and weighing 115 pounds.
Missing posters were put up around the town of Freehold and her family is standing by to get any word on her whereabouts.
Anyone with information is urged to 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.
Police say there is no threat to the public.
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