Stephanie Parze's Father's Gut Feeling Leads to Tragic Truth

Ed Parze's instincts told him his daughter Stephanie's ex-boyfriend was involved in her disappearance, a hunch that was tragically confirmed by the discovery of her body and a suicide note.

Stephanie Parze's father, Ed, knew from the moment he met his daughter's ex-boyfriend, John Ozbilgen, that something was amiss. "I didn’t like this person from the day I met him," Ed told Fox News Digital. "There wasn’t ever any eye contact with this guy. He was in and out. I even said to my daughter, ‘I’m not liking this. You’ve got to be careful with him.’ He was strange. I had a gut feeling from day one."

Stephanie, a social media influencer and makeup artist, met Ozbilgen, a stockbroker, on an online dating site. Despite Ed's initial warnings, Stephanie and Ozbilgen quickly became a couple. However, their relationship was tumultuous, and Stephanie eventually accused Ozbilgen of assault.

Stephanie Parze's Father's Gut Feeling Leads to Tragic Truth

When Stephanie vanished on October 30, 2019, Ed's gut feeling told him Ozbilgen was involved. He and his wife frantically searched for their daughter, but they couldn't find her anywhere.

Investigators eyed Ozbilgen as a person of interest, and they discovered that he had sent Stephanie 10 angry, unanswered text messages the night before she disappeared. On November 8, 2019, Ozbilgen was arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of a child — possession of child pornography. He remained in custody until November 19, when he was released.

Stephanie Parze's Father's Gut Feeling Leads to Tragic Truth

Tragically, Ozbilgen died by suicide on November 22, 2019. While he was never formally charged with Stephanie's murder, he left behind a note indicating that he was responsible for her death.

In the wake of his daughter's disappearance, Ed founded The Stephanie Nicole Parze Foundation to help prevent similar tragedies. The foundation provides support to families and individuals dealing with domestic violence, sexual abuse, and missing loved ones.

Stephanie Parze's Father's Gut Feeling Leads to Tragic Truth

Ed urges parents to be vigilant and to listen to their instincts. "Love is blind," he said. "You don’t know what’s happening to you because you’re blind to it. You don’t realize you’re being manipulated. You don’t realize that the person’s controlling you, and they’re isolating you from your friends and family."

"If you’re going through something, don’t hide from your loved ones," he added. "Tell somebody what’s going on in your life, especially if you break up with someone. Make sure you tell somebody that you’ve broken up with somebody because you don’t know what’s in the other person’s head at that point."

Stephanie Parze's Father's Gut Feeling Leads to Tragic Truth

Stephanie Parze's story is a tragic reminder of the dangers of domestic violence and the importance of trusting our instincts.