A Man Accused Of Torturing A Woman Is Reportedly Dead After An Hourslong Standoff With Police

Julia Reinstein
·4 min read
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Grants Pass Police Department
Grants Pass Police Department

A man accused of kidnapping and torturing a woman killed himself after a standoff with police, which lasted for hours.

Police in Grants Pass, Oregon, had been searching for Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, since Jan. 24, when they responded to a home and found a woman "bound and severely beaten into unconsciousness."

Foster fled the scene before officers arrived, police said. The woman, who police described as someone he had a "former domestic relationship" with was taken to the hospital in critical condition.

On Tuesday, police said Foster had been taken into custody after a "several hour long standoff."

Later that night, Foster died in the hospital from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, local Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman said in press conference on Wednesday.

Oreagon State Police Capt. Kyle Kennedy said that police conducted a door to door welfare check on the residents of Sunny Valley, near where Foster was seen on Thursday, where they found the bodies of two men who they believed was killed by Foster on.

Officers described their deaths as a result of "brutal" double homicide caused by blunt force trauma, adding that Several items, including a dog, were missing from the home.

Kennedy said Foster had left the Sunny Valley area Tuesday morning in a cab and was dropped off in Grants Pass back to the home where he committed the crime on Jan 24, according to Hensman.

Police found Foster "burrowed deep underneath the home" armed anticipating a gunfight, however he shot himself in the head. Police dug through the homes floorboards to recover Foster's body but found he was still breath.

Police say Faster was pronounced dead almost immediatetly after being taken to the hospital.

Josephine County Sheriff David Daniel's said authorithies responded to a brutal double homicide located in the Sunny Valley area on Tuesday which matched a tip.

After a lengthy standoff and failed communication

Police said he was dug deep underneath the home.

Tk said Foster was pronounced dead almost immediately after he was taken to the hospital.

In court records obtained by the Oregonian, Josephine County District Attorney Joshua Eastman said Foster tried to kill the woman police found on Jan. 24, “intentionally torturing” her and hiding her "in a place where she was not likely to be found."

Foster had been on the run for nearly a week prior to his arrest and was wanted on charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, and assault. Police warned the public that he was "extremely dangerous" and might be using dating apps while on the run.

"The investigation has revealed that the suspect is actively using online dating applications to contact unsuspecting individuals who may be lured into assisting with the suspect’s escape or potentially as additional victims," police said.

On Thursday, numerous law enforcement agencies served a search warrant to a home in Wolf Creek, about 20 miles from Grants Pass. After what police described as a "lengthy manhunt," Foster "evaded capture and likely received assistance in fleeing the area."

Police seized several pieces of evidence there, including Foster's car, and arrested a 68-year-old woman on suspicion of hindering prosecution.

"The Grants Pass Police Department wants the community to be extra safe while this predator is still at large and also advises that anyone assisting Ben Foster with his escape will face potential prosecution," they said.

In 2019, according to the Associated Press, Foster held his then-girlfriend captive for two weeks in her apartment in Las Vegas. Despite facing decades in prison, he was sentenced to only two and a half years in a Nevada state prison after reaching a deal with Clark County prosecutors.

During her captivity in the 2019 incident, Foster choked the woman until she lost consciousness and forced her to eat lye. Police reports reportedly revealed she had suffered seven broken ribs, two black eyes, as well as other injuries from having her wrists and ankles bound with zip ties. She managed to escape from Foster and found help at a nearby apartment complex, after which she was taken to a hospital.

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