An Oregon man who used dating apps to lure women and “tortured and tried to kill” his latest victim has been taken into custody after a police altercation at his victim’s home.
Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, of Wolf Creek – located 60 miles north of the California border – has been taken into custody, the Grants Pass Police Department said in a news release.
Foster led police into a standoff that lasted several hours, during which he reportedly barricaded himself under victim Justine Siemens’ home on Shane Way, where he “tied and severely beat her” until she was unconscious. She remains in critical condition in intensive care.
The alleged perpetrator fled the Siemens home on January 24 after her boyfriend stopped by to check on her after he was unable to reach her. He reportedly “interrupted” the torture and when the police arrived they described the scene as “absolutely disgusting” and “horrible”.
The police accuse him of having tortured Siemens “intentionally over a long period of time”. Police also told CNN that the incident was “not an accidental assault” and that Foster and Siemens had a “previous relationship,” but didn’t elaborate.
Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, of Wolf Creek, was taken into custody by the Grants Pass Police Department at his victim Justine Siemens’ home on Shane Way
He barricaded himself under the victim’s home, leading police into an hour-long standoff
Police said Foster used dating apps to lure his victims, but Match Group – which owns Tinder, OkCupid and Hinge – and Bumble said they couldn’t find profiles matching his description but are still looking.
He was last spotted by police Tuesday morning walking a small dog in an orange jacket, jeans and hat before leading police into a standoff.
Lieutenant Jeff Hattersley said Tuesday afternoon authorities had “received credible information” that Foster entered the home. Just before 8 p.m. Hattersley said the situation had been resolved.
Officers from four services were concentrated in the area, established a command post and assembled a SWAT team. Some residents received a notification to seek shelter on site.
Last Thursday, law enforcement searched a property in the unincorporated community of Wolf Creek, but Foster, who had lived there on the family estate, slipped away.
Foster is said to have tied up and severely beat Siemens (pictured) at her home on January 24. Siemens is still in intensive care after the attack and is in critical condition
Authorities were informed of the attack after her boyfriend came to her home on January 24 after he was unable to contact her and “interrupted” the torture. Police said the scene was ‘absolutely disgusting scene’ and ‘terrible’
After Foster was interrupted, he reportedly fled the scene in his Nissan to Tina Marie Jones’ home in Wolf Creek, where his car was found and evidence found that he used dating apps to lure victims. He eventually returned to her home, where he was taken into custody
Forested mountains surround the community, but investigators believe Foster had help getting out of the area rather than disappearing into the wilderness on his own.
Homeowner Tina Marie Jones, 68, was arrested for allegedly trying to hide Foster and is currently in the Josephine County Jail.
Hattersley also believed that if Siemens’ girlfriend hadn’t shown up at her apartment on Tuesday, “we would have had a very different investigation.”
“It’s clear that his intention was to kill her,” he told the New York Times. “I have been in law enforcement for 32 years and this is one of the most heinous and horrific cases I have ever seen.”
Siemens friend Jacqueline Frankel said she saw the couple at the Corvette’s Bar and Grill in Grants Pass a few weeks before the alleged attack, although they weren’t hanging out. According to her Facebook page, Siemens appeared to work at the restaurant.
Foster is also a bartender in Grants Pass. It’s unclear if he worked at Corvette, but police said he knew Siemens before the attack. has reached out to the restaurant for comment.
He was last seen with a dog on Tuesday morning (pictured)
Foster was accused of holding his girlfriend hostage at her Las Vegas apartment in 2019. He reportedly held his girlfriend for two weeks and brutally tortured her.
Frankel said Foster “just looked like a regular guy” at the time but didn’t see him “hanging out” with Siemens.
This isn’t the first time Foster has faced similar allegations, as he was convicted in 2019 of holding his girlfriend captive in Las Vegas, where he attended university.
He reportedly held his girlfriend in her own home for two weeks and brutally tortured her.
That victim, whose name was blacked out from court records, suffered over the course of 16 days a shaved head, seven broken ribs, two black eyes and chemical burns from lye that Foster allegedly forced her to eat.
He was initially charged with five felonies, including assault and assault, and served decades in prison after his conviction. But in August 2021, Foster reached a settlement with Clark County prosecutors that allowed him to plead guilty to one felony count of battery and one misdemeanor count of domestic violence.
Tina Marie Jones was arrested for allegedly helping him hide at her Wolf Creek home and is in the Josephine County Jail. His car and evidence that he used dating apps to lure victims were found at her home
A judge sentenced him to up to 2.5 years in Nevada prison. The 729 days he spent in prison awaiting trial counted toward his sentence, leaving Foster less than 200 days in state custody.
The woman also told police she was choked into unconsciousness.
She escaped when Foster let her out of sight during a trip to a grocery store and gas station together.
After serving several months in prison, Foster returned to Oregon, where he “unfortunately found another woman to bully in a very similar way,” Hattersley told the New York Times.
Court records show Foster was out of custody at the time for carrying a concealed weapon without authorization on a suspended sentence. He was also awaiting trial in another 2018 case involving domestic violence. But Foster’s plea deal with prosecutors in 2021 settled the domestic violence case, a copy of the agreement shows, and he was “senten to credit for time served.”
Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman told the AP Thursday it was “extremely disturbing” that Foster was out there exploiting other women instead of still being behind bars for crimes in Nevada.