‘Extremely dangerous’ kidnapping and torture suspect may be using dating apps to find new victims
Police identified the suspected attacker as Benjamin Obadiah Foster, a 36-year-old man who was convicted in 2019 after holding his girlfriend hostage in a Las Vegas apartment for two weeks.
Police in Oregon are searching for a man they believe responsible for kidnapping and torturing a woman who was found abandoned and clinging to life.
On Thursday night, a woman in Grants Pass, Oregon was found unconscious and bound. She had been ‘severely beaten’ and was transported to a hospital in critical condition.
Police in Grants Pass quickly identified the suspected attacker as Benjamin Obadiah Foster, a 36-year-old man who was convicted in 2019 after holding his girlfriend hostage in a Las Vegas apartment for two weeks.
Foster was originally charged with five felonies, including assault and battery, but struck a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to lesser charges. He was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison, but was released in 2021 after receiving credit for time served awaiting trial.
A late-night SWAT team raid of a property in the neighboring town of Wolf Creek turned up Foster’s car, but the ex-convict managed to escape.
The police said Foster ‘likely received assistance’ to evade capture. They later arrested Tina Marie Jones, 68, and charged her with hindering prosecution.
According to court documents, Jones helped Foster hide his car in a remote location, then drove him to the Wolf Creek property.
Additionally, police said Foster is ‘actively using online dating applications.’ They believe he is using the apps to get women to unknowingly help him escape capture, or to identify new victims.
Foster has a long history of domestic violence, according to court records. He was charged with multiple felonies following incidents in 2017 and 2019.
In 2017, he was charged with battery leading to domestic violence in after strangling his then-girlfriend on Christmas Eve. The attack happened after Foster noticed another man had texted her.
While he was awaiting trial for the 2017 attack, Foster was arrested again for holding a woman captive for over two weeks.
She was only able to escape when Foster left her alone to walk his dog. She managed to flee from her captor and hide in an apartment complex, where a Good Samaritan took her to a hospital.
According to a police report, his victim had two black eyes, multiple broken ribs, and abrasions to her wrists and ankles from being restrained with zip ties.
Foster has eluded capture since Thursday night. Detectives now believe he has shaved his beard and cut or dyed his hair.
Police have set up a tip line and are offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to the suspect’s capture. However, they have also warned the public not to approach Foster, believing him to be ‘extremely dangerous.’
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