"Extremely dangerous" Benjamin Foster, 36, was sought by police for attempted murder, kidnapping and assault.
Trigger Warning: The following article mentions death by suicide and assault which some readers may find distressing.
Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, a man accused of kidnapping and torturing a woman in Oregon this month died from a self inflicted-gunshot. He was believed to be hiding under a house on a property in Grants Pass; law enforcement had surrounded the property for hours. The man died last week from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after the hours-long standoff. Foster had "burrowed deep underneath the home" and shot himself in the head. Foster was pronounced dead "within an hour or two" after reaching the hospital, police said.
According to police, Foster was wanted on kidnapping, attempted murder, and assault charges. He was also suspected of killing two people in the days before his death, police revealed, according to CBS News.
We are live from the scene of the crime and of the standoff with police last night. Where Benjamin Foster was found holed up under the house after a week-long manhunt. According to officials, he died of a self-inflicted gunshot. Our story coming up on @CBSMornings pic.twitter.com/662XKsDRTB
— Lilia Luciano (@lilialuciano) February 1, 2023
Two bodies were found in the same area where Foster had eluded capture police said at a Wednesday press conference. They belonged to Richard Lee Barron Jr. and Donald Owen Griffith who police say died of blunt force trauma. Currently, there are no other suspects in their deaths other than Foster, police said.
Police first began searching Foster on January 24 when they discovered a woman who had been bound and severely beaten into unconsciousness inside a Grants Pass home. She was rushed to the hospital and remains in critical condition. Foster tried to kill the woman while “intentionally torturing” her, according to charging documents obtained by CNN affiliate KDRV. The woman suffered the alleged abuses for a “protracted amount of time,” according to Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman.
After hours long standoff Benjamin Foster is dead from self-inflicted gunshot wound. Good.https://t.co/OUBENAc9TU
— MANUELA☮🌊♀️🌊🏳️🌈 🇺🇲🇺🇦 I 💙🐾 🎾 🎙💃🏽 (@mea_aura) February 1, 2023
This isn't the first time the man has been accused of torturing a woman he held captive. Over a year ago he held a woman who he was in a relationship with captive for two weeks and critically injured her but fortunately, she managed to escape. A judge sentenced him to up to 2 and a half years in a Nevada prison but gave credit for 729 days served. In 2017 his ex-girlfriend testified that he tried to strangle her on Christmas Eve after he saw that another man had texted her. Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman says he finds it "extremely troubling" that the felon was able to re-offend instead of being kept in jail for the Nevada crimes.
Before he was discovered police had said Foster was "extremely dangerous" and "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."
.@KATUNews: BREAKING: Grants Pass, Oregon attempted murder suspect who had been subject of manhunt, is dead from self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police say Benjamin Foster kidnapped & tortured women: https://t.co/NL9f2WDveW
— Kevin Olivas (@KevinOlivasMedi) February 1, 2023
References:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/benjamin-foster-oregon-torture-suspect-dead-killed-two-people/
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/31/us/oregon-kidnapping-suspect-benjamin-foster-tuesday/index.html
Cover Image Source: Grants Pass Police Department
