Prominent Niagara County attorney missing, family pleading for help to find him
LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WIVB) — A Lockport family is pleading for help to find their loved one, a prominent Niagara County attorney who went missing earlier this week.
Scott Stopa, 46, was last seen around 8:30 Tuesday morning. His loved ones have not heard from him since, and now police are investigating, hoping to find him and bring him home to his family who are devastated by his disappearance.
'Scott, we love you so much, please come home if you see this,' his sister, Jenny Ryan said, fighting back tears. 'We miss you, we love you, we're all here for you, and we want you to come home.'
Ryan said that her brother said he was heading to work when he left Tuesday morning, but that's the last they've seen or heard from him. He was in the process of opening up his own law office at the Bewly Building in downtown Lockport, according to the family.
'Efforts have been made by multiple family members to reach him, unfortunately he doesn't have his phone on him,' Niagara County Sheriff Michael Filicetti said. 'So, they're very concerned because they haven't had contact with him for now going on three days, and they contacted us to assist them in locating him.'
Stopa's family said that he had been dealing with personal issues, including depression.
Filicetti said they believe he could still be in the area.
'We have some indications that he's still local based on our investigation, so again we're still trying to locate him,' Sheriff Filicetti said. 'We're using the usual techniques that we would normally do to try to find somebody. Through the use of technology we can indicate that his vehicle has been in the area the last couple of days. So, again, we're going to continue to stay local here for our purposes, for the investigation.'
Stopa's family remains devastated by his disappearance and are praying that he comes home safely. They're urging anyone with any information on his whereabouts to come forward.
'We are devastated. We just want him home safely,' Ryan said. 'We miss him, we love him, and we just want him home safely. Please, please contact the Niagara County Sheriff's Department immediately – even if it's the smallest tip – no matter what, we need information as soon as possible.'
Stopa was last seen driving a black 2014 Jeep Compass with New York registration – LNN1422. Anyone with any information on his whereabouts is urged to call the Niagara County Sheriff's Office at (716) 438-3394.
Rob Petree is an anchor and reporter who joined the News 4 team in 2025. See more of his work by clicking here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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