Officials locate remains of Stephanie Parze, 25, after she went missing in 2019

Officials say they have recovered the body of Stephanie Parze. The 25-year-old New Jersey native went missing on Oct. 30 after an evening spent with her family in New Brunswick.  

The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office released a short statement about the discovery of Stephanie's remains Monday morning. 

"It is with great sadness we announce that Stephanie Parze’s remains were recovered yesterday in Old Bridge," officials from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office shared. 

According to authorities, Stephanie's remains were found near Route 9 in Old Bridge. The medical examiner confirmed her identification early Monday morning. 


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'A nightmare': Family addresses disappearance of 25-year-old Stephanie Parze


Details surrounding how they found Stephanie's body have not yet been released. 

In early December, the Parze family joined Good Day to explain their search efforts and asked the public for help in finding Stephanie. 

On the night that Stephanie went missing, she made a stop at her parents’ house before returning to her home at 10 p.m.

The next morning, her family was unable to reach her and immediately knew something wasn’t right. Her mother Sharlene drove to Stephanie’s home to check on her.

When she arrived, she found Stephanie’s car and cell phone but no sign of her daughter.

Later, they learned that Stephanie, who worked as a nanny, never showed up for work that day.

The Parzes explained that Stephanie had only recently begun seeing her ex-boyfriend. He had a history of abusing Stephanie to the point that her father had to come help. 

"I had to pick her up, she was running down the street," Ed Parze told FOX 29. 

"We're just trying to keep her picture out there and let people obviously know we're obviously looking for her," her father added. "It's a big area, she could be anywhere."

Her family has been organizing searches with the help of volunteers in hopes of finding Stephanie. However, her parents said that even though the support has been wonderful it has been difficult not knowing where she is. 

"It's been horrific. It's been a nightmare," Sharlene explained. "Just waiting to wake up from it and to see our daughter again."


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