Purchased a used Iphone 11

Recently Purchased a used Iphone 11. I payed in cash and when I got home to set it up, the phone still has an apple ID activation lock on it which means the original owner hasn't removed it via iCloud. So I attempted to contact the seller to see if he would remove the lock and he blocked me. I called apple support and there seems to be no way of contacting the original owner so how would I find out if the phone is lost or not and once I do, where should I take it. I don't live particularly close to any apple stores so I wanted to make sure before I take the drive. Is it even possible for them to find the owner? Keep in mind that the phone is at its factory defaults. So I just wanted to make sure I didn't purchase a lost/stolen phone before I ask them to reset it. Also isn't there a phone tracking feature for lost phones? I've had the phone for around 3 days and no one has alerted me or stopped by the house to pick it up.