Manhunt ends as suspect dies in custody

Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, was apprehended by police on Tuesday night, January 31, after an hours-long standoff in Grants Pass, Oregon. Following the confrontation, he was taken to a hospital, where he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound at 10:45 p.m. local time.

It is unclear when exactly Foster shot himself; whether it was during the standoff, in custody, or at the hospital. After the standoff ended, Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman declared that Foster was “on his way to the hospital, still alive.”

The search for Foster began a week prior to his capture, after police located a woman in critical condition who had been “bound and severely beaten into unconsciousness.”

Authorities deemed Foster to be “extremely dangerous,” and asserted that he was “actively using online dating applications to contact unsuspecting individuals who may be lured into assisting with [his] escape or potentially as additional victims.” On Monday, January 31, Chief Hensman revealed that the victim had a “prior relationship” with Foster, although he declined to disclose the nature of their relationship.

Prior to the Oregon incident, Foster had been charged in Las Vegas for two separate attacks on women with whom he had relationships. In 2017, he was charged with felony battery constituting domestic violence for attempting to strangle his ex-girlfriend after finding out another man had texted her. Two years later, he was charged with felony assault, battery, and kidnapping for multiple incidents involving a then-girlfriend. In both cases, he eventually accepted plea deals.