CNN
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[Breaking news update, published at 11:09 p.m. ET]
Authorities have surrounded a southwestern Oregon home where they believe they have located a man accused of kidnapping and torturing a woman this month, a CNN affiliate reported Tuesday.
SWAT teams tried to get the suspect, Benjamin Obadiah Foster, to surrender Tuesday night when he was underground at his Grants Pass residence, according to CNN affiliate KTVL, citing a police spokesman. .
[Original story, published at 9:29 p.m. ET]
A man accused of kidnapping and torturing a woman in southwestern Oregon knew his victim before the attack, as a week-long search for the suspect continues, police told CNN.
Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Huntsman told CNN on Monday that Benjamin Obadia Foster, 36, had a “previous relationship” with the victim. He did not provide further details, but said, “This is not a random attack.”
On Tuesday night, police surrounded a home believed to be connected to Foster’s case, CNN affiliate KTVL, which was at the scene, reported. Authorities have yet to confirm whether Foster was inside the house, KTVL said.
Some nearby residents were issued shelter-in-place orders, the affiliate reported.
CNN has reached out to Grants Pass police, the Josephine and Jefferson County sheriff’s offices and the FBI’s Portland office about the development but has not heard back.
Foster was seen walking his dog in the Grants Pass area on Tuesday morning, police said.
The search for Foster began on January 24 after police found a woman bound and severely beaten unconscious at the Grants Pass home, police said. Foster had fled the crime scene when police arrived, they said.
As of Sunday, the victim remained in hospital in critical condition, according to Huntsman.
Federal, state and local authorities have been working “around the clock” to find Foster, who is wanted for attempted murder, kidnapping and battery, according to the police chief.
Prosecutors accused Foster of attempting to kill the woman while “intentionally torturing” her, according to charging documents obtained by CNN affiliate KDRV. The police chief said the victim endured the alleged abuse “for an extended period of time.”
Huntsman said the victim was initially spotted by a friend who called police and identified Foster as a suspect.
When officers arrived on Jan. 24, they found “an absolutely disgusting scene,” the police chief said, adding that images captured by investigators were “horrifying.”
“I’ve seen a lot in my career, but there are some things that really strike you that will stay in my memory for many years to come,” Huntsman told CNN on Monday.
Investigators are still sifting through a “substantial” amount of evidence and following up on the numerous reports the department has received so far, the police chief said.
Authorities are urging the public to come forward with any information on Foster’s whereabouts or possible sightings of the suspect. Police said people should pay particular attention to his eyes and facial structure as he may have attempted to alter his appearance by cutting or dyeing his hair and beard.
Huntsman encouraged anyone who has been in contact with Foster — whether in person or online — to call 911 immediately. Police warned the “extremely dangerous suspect” could be armed.
Huntsman said Monday that he did not consider Foster a “random attacker,” but warned that “nothing is impossible for a guy like him.”
“He was definitely a threat to other people,” the police chief said. “I think he’s a threat to people who might be his friends.”
Investigators have previously said Foster may have been using dating apps to find potential new victims or manipulate people to help him evade arrest. Huntsman declined to clarify on Monday whether Foster was still using the apps.
Clark County records show Foster was charged in two separate cases in Las Vegas with assaulting women with whom he was in a relationship.
In the first case, Foster was charged with felony battery, which constitutes domestic violence, records show. His ex-girlfriend testified that he tried to strangle her on Christmas Eve in 2017 after seeing another man text her, documents show.
He was also charged with felony, battery and kidnapping for allegedly abusing his then-girlfriend in 2019, according to charging documents.
A Las Vegas police report said the victim in the case told police that Foster strangled her multiple times and tied her up for much of the next two weeks. When she was finally able to escape to the hospital, she had seven broken ribs, blackened eyes and bruised wrists and ankles from being bound, the report said.
In both cases, Foster accepted a plea deal. In the first case, he was sentenced to a maximum of 30 months’ imprisonment, but served 729 days.