A man accused of kidnapping and torturing a woman in southwest Oregon knew his victim prior to the attack, according to police officials. Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36 years old, had a past relationship with the victim, said Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman. He did not provide additional details but said, “This was not a random attack.”
As the week-long search for the suspect continues, some residents in the neighborhood received a notification to shelter in place. On Tuesday, police surrounded a home believed to be linked to Foster’s case.
The search for Foster began January 24 when officers discovered a woman who had been bound and severely beaten into unconsciousness inside a Grants Pass home, police said. Foster had already fled the crime scene when police arrived. The victim remains in critical condition at the hospital and is being treated for alleged abuses over a “protracted amount of time,” the police chief said.
Foster is wanted on suspicion of attempted murder, kidnapping and assault, according to the police chief. Furthermore, Foster is being accused of trying to kill the woman while “intentionally torturing” her, according to charging documents.
Before police found the victim, a friend turned up and called the police. When officers arrived on the scene, they found “an absolutely disgusting scene,” the police chief said, adding that images taken by investigators are “horrific.”
He added that investigators continue to work through a “significant amount” of evidence. Numerous tips have been sent in and police are following up accordingly. The police have made it a mission to spread his image. People should pay particular attention to his eyes and facial structure, police said, because he may have tried to alter his appearance by cutting or coloring his hair and beard.
Investigators have previously shared that Foster may be using dating apps to find potential victims or manipulate people into helping him evade arrest. Foster’s behavior reflects a pattern as he has been accused of attacking women who he had relationships with in two separate cases in Las Vegas, Clark County records show.
Foster was charged with felony battery constituting domestic violence. His ex-girlfriend testified that he tried to strangle her on Christmas Eve in 2017 after he saw that another man had texted her, according to the documents.
He was also charged with felony assault, battery and kidnapping for alleged abuses against his then-girlfriend in 2019, according to charging documents.
The victim in that case told police Foster strangled her several times and kept her tied up for most of the following two weeks, a Las Vegas police report said. When she was finally able to escape to a hospital, she had seven broken ribs, two black eyes and abrasions to her wrists and ankles from being tied up, the report said.
Foster accepted plea deals in both cases. In the first case, he was sentenced to a maximum of 30 months in prison but given credit for 729 days served.
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