Man Wanted for Attempted Murder Is Using Dating Apps to Evade Police, Authorities Say

A man who allegedly kidnapped a woman before tying her up and beating her unconscious could be using dating apps to evade police and seek out other victims, local law enforcement in Oregon said over the weekend.

Benjamin Obadiah Foster, the 36-year-old suspect, evaded capture and is still at large. He is likely armed, considered “extremely dangerous,” and currently using dating apps, police said.

“The investigation has revealed that the suspect is 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,” the Grants Pass Police Department said in a statement. 

On Tuesday, police responded to a call about an assault and found a bound and severely beaten, unconscious woman. She was immediately brought to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The suspect fled before the police managed to identify him, but Foster has since been charged with kidnapping, attempted murder, and assault—less than two years after he was convicted of a similar violent crime targeting a different woman in Nevada.

Someone likely helped Foster flee, police said. One person, 68-year-old Tina Marie Jones, was arrested for allegedly “hindering prosecution.” So far, Foster’s 2008 Nissan Sentra and other evidence have been seized. There is a $2,500 reward for anyone who has information leading to Foster’s arrest and prosecution. 

“This is a very serious offense—a brutal assault on one of our residents that we take extremely serious and we will not rest until we capture this individual,” Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman told reporters on Thursday. “We’re laser focused on capturing this man and bringing him to justice.”

Grants Pass Police did not respond to a VICE News request for comment and did not say what dating apps the suspect is using.  

Foster has a documented history of alleged violence against women, CNN reported. In Nevada, Foster was charged with felony battery constituting domestic violence: his ex said he attempted to strangle her in 2017 after another man texted her. While the case was in court, Foster was indicted with new charges: felony assault, battery, and kidnapping after allegedly attacking a different woman in 2019.

The victim, who was Foster’s girlfriend at the time, reportedly told police, “Foster strangled (her) to the point of unconsciousness several times.” She said he kept her tied up for nearly two weeks, using zip ties and duct tape, and that she was forced to eat chemical lye. According to reports, the woman was freed because the pair went on a grocery store and gas station run. She escaped while in a store, CNN reported. She fled with injuries, including seven broken ribs and two black eyes. 

In August 2021, Foster pleaded guilty to one felony count of battery and a misdemeanor count of battery constituting domestic violence, according to the Associated Press. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, but that included time served while awaiting trial. The outcome left Foster with fewer than 200 days left in state custody, AP reported.

Hensman said it's “extremely troubling” that Foster wasn’t kept in jail, and was instead able to reoffend, KDRV reported.

“Am I troubled by what I know already? The answer is yes,” Hensman said when asked about Foster’s previous charges in Nevada.

Dating apps can be notoriously unsafe, with studies suggesting that three out of four people on the apps experience some form of abuse. Men tend to be the aggressors, while women and LGBTQ people are most often targeted. 

“Abuse on apps isn’t new or specific to digital technologies. It reflects longstanding trends in offline behavior,” wrote Kath Albury, Swinburne University of Technology professor, and Daniel Reeders, a researcher with Australian National University for the Conversation. “Perpetrators simply exploit the possibilities dating apps offer.”

Experts have also long been raising alarm bells as law enforcement fails to take domestic violence seriously. That’s despite the fact that one in three women have experienced some form of physical violence from an intimate partner—and mass shootings are often linked to a gunman’s history of domestic violence.