by
CNN
—
A week after authorities discovered a woman being tied up and beaten at a home in southwest Oregon, the kidnapping suspect has died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, a CNN affiliate reports.
Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, died in a hospital after an hour-long standoff with law enforcement Tuesday night in Grants Pass, Oregon, CNN affiliate KTVL reported, citing a police spokesman.
The standoff ended after authorities surrounded the house – under which they believed Foster was hiding – and tried to convince the suspect to surrender, KTVL reported.
In a statement Tuesday night, Grants Pass Police said Foster was “in custody” after the standoff, but gave no further details. The department said it will hold a press conference on Wednesday.
Foster was wanted on suspicion of attempted murder, kidnapping and assault after officers arrested a woman at a home in Grants Pass on January 24 and beat her until she was unconscious, police said.
Prosecutors have accused Foster of torturing the woman with intent to kill her, the indictment says.
The victim was still in critical condition in hospital as of Sunday, according to Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman.
Foster knew his victim before the attack, Hensman told CNN, saying the two had a “previous relationship.” He didn’t elaborate, but said, “It wasn’t a random attack.”
The suspect had already fled when officers arrived at the scene last week, prompting an extensive multi-day search for Foster that sparked a spate of leads from the public and included federal, state and local authorities, police said.
When they searched for Foster, police warned he was “extremely dangerous” and may be armed. Hensman said he was “definitely a threat to others,” especially those who might try to befriend him.
Investigators said Foster likely received help escaping law enforcement. They also warned that it could be him may have been Using dating apps to find potential new victims or get people to help him escape.
When officers responded to an 911 call from a friend of the victim, they were greeted with “an absolutely disgusting scene,” Hensman told CNN. The victim suffered from the alleged abuse “for a long time” before it was discovered, he said.
“I’ll remember that for years to come,” the police chief said, describing the images of the scene as “terrible.”
At least two women who had relationships with Foster have accused him of assaulting and abusing them, according to Clark County court filings from Las Vegas cases.
In the first case, his ex-girlfriend testified that Foster got angry and strangled her in 2017 after seeing another man text her. Foster has been charged with a felony constituting domestic violence, records show.
While that case was pending, he was charged with assault, assault and kidnapping after his then-girlfriend told police he strangled her multiple times and kept her tied up for nearly two weeks, according to documents.
The woman eventually escaped by convincing Foster they needed to go grocery shopping and escape through a store, according to a Las Vegas police report. By the time she reached 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 pleadings in both cases. In the first case, he was sentenced to a maximum of 30 months in prison, counting 729 days served.
