Authorities said Wednesday that investigators suspect the man accused of kidnapping and torturing a woman in Oregon who later died from a self-inflicted gunshot following a standoff with police also killed two men while he was on the run.
According to officials, Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, passed away in a hospital on Tuesday following a confrontation with law enforcement in Grants Pass, Oregon, that day that lasted for many hours.
Following the discovery of a female Grants Pass resident tied and severely beaten, authorities launched a manhunt for Foster on January 24. Tuesday saw the discovery of two dead men by sheriff’s deputies conducting a welfare check at a residence in a neighborhood roughly 15 miles north of the town.
Later on Tuesday, investigators discovered Foster had visited the same Grants Pass house where the torture on January 24 had taken place. Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman stated at a press conference on Wednesday that Foster shot himself there following a standoff and passed away that evening in a hospital.
He claimed that it took some time to free Foster because the suspect had dug a long tunnel under the house and had to be reached by cutting through the flooring.
After being removed, Foster was still breathing, but he passed away an hour or so later, according to the chief. Authorities further stated that Foster was the only suspect in the men’s murders.