Found Deceased NY - Dominic Hofert, 53, Lewiston, 2 February 2015

The third-generation owner of a Kenmore jewelry store disappeared at the edge of the Lower Niagara River late Monday night and may have fallen into the icy river after leaving his nearby Lewiston home, authorities said Wednesday. Helicopter and foot searches for Dominic Hofert, 53, owner of Hofert Jewelers on Delaware Avenue, have been suspended. An investigation into his disappearance is continuing, according to Lewiston police, who say there appears to be nothing of any suspicious nature. What happened to him, however, remains a mystery.

Hofert’s single set of footprints in the snow led away from his home and down to the shoreline of the lower river not far from the sprawling riverside meadow owned by Stella Niagara Education Park. “Right now, we have a missing person and we have actively searched the area by air and with K-9 teams,” Lewiston Police Sgt. Frank J. Previte said. “We are fairly certain he went down to that area on the bank. We did track footprints that we believe are his, and there was one set of prints and nothing returning. We are uncertain of what happened at the actual shoreline, but we are confident he was by himself.”

Earlier in the evening, Hofert had shoveled snow at his home in the 4400 block of Lower River Road, spoken to a person and appeared fine before leaving his house at about 10:40 p.m.

“Based on the contact he had with somebody prior to walking off, there was nothing out of the ordinary, but the investigation is continuing,” Previte said and urged anyone with information in the missing person case to contact town police at 754-8477. Although there are some sections of Lower River Road with steep drops to the shoreline – in some cases, 80 feet or more – police said the area where Hofert walked was not one of them. The approach to the riverbank is gradual, they said, and there are substantial ice formations pressing up against the shore.

Coast Guard officials said they alerted Hofert’s family that the air search involving their helicopter was called off Tuesday afternoon, but would resume if there are any new developments.

There was shock over Hofert’s disappearance in Kenmore, where his family’s business, established in 1929, has been a cornerstone in the village’s central business district.

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Kenmore jeweler Dominic Hofert officially remains a missing person.

But his family is moving ahead with a memorial Mass in his honor next Saturday. They are certain he was the victim of a tragic mishap two weeks ago, when he disappeared at the edge of the Lower Niagara River not far from his Lewiston home.

Police share the same opinion. But without a body to prove he fell into the icy river and died, Hofert, 53, will continue to be classified as a missing person.

“We believe he may have somehow entered the river. It’s under unknown circumstances,” said Lewiston Police Sgt. Frank Previte, who expressed compassion for the difficult time the Hofert family has had to endure since the night of Feb. 2, when the third-generation jeweler was reported missing.

Police followed the single set of footprints in the snow leading from his home on Lower River Road down to the riverbank where they stopped. There were no footprints heading away from the river. An extensive search involving a helicopter, boats and K-9 teams proved unsuccessful. Nothing suspicious has come to light that would lead authorities to believe Hofert was the victim of foul play.

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