Prominent Niagara County Attorney Missing for Five Days Found at Niagara Falls Department Store

A Lockport-based attorney who had been reported missing earlier in the week was located Saturday afternoon by Niagara County Sheriff’s deputies at a department store in Niagara Falls.

Scott Stopa, 46, had last been seen on Tuesday and his sudden disappearance raised significant concern among his family and local authorities. For several days, no one had been able to contact him, and his phone was reportedly left at his home in the Town of Cambria.

Stopa is a practicing attorney and partner at Ben & Stopa Attorneys-at-Law on East Avenue in Lockport. His professional background includes a strong focus on family law with experience handling divorce, custody, paternity, and guardianship matters. He also serves as a court-certified attorney for the child.

The search for Stopa began shortly after his family filed a missing person’s report. The Niagara County Sheriff’s Criminal Investigation Bureau had been actively involved in efforts to locate him as well as an overwhelming social media effort led by our media outlet.

On Saturday, around 3:30pm, deputies were dispatched to a Niagara Falls retail store following a report that Stopa had been seen there. After speaking with him at the scene, authorities confirmed that he was safe.

Stopa’s disappearance was described by his family as highly unusual, releasing the following statement earlier in the week:

“Our family is extremely concerned for Scott’s safety and well-being,” a family member said in a public appeal on social media. “This is completely out of character for him.”

Further details regarding the circumstances of his absence have not been released, nor will Niagara Action share them if they are made public.

Prominent Niagara County Attorney Missing for Five Days Found at Niagara Falls Department Store