The Manhunt for Benjamin Foster

Part 2 -What if the person you trusted most turned out to be your worst nightmare? Join us as we unravel the chilling nationwide manhunt for Benjamin Foster, who brutally attacked and held Justine hostage. We dive deep into the tense investigation, uncovering disturbing details from Foster's parents that hint at his possible escape to Vegas. Hear about the near-miss capture at a friend's house in Sunnyvale, and how Foster's alarming use of dating apps led police to issue a public safety warning. Listen to the emotional apology from Foster's brother, who now regrets doubting the abuse allegations, and how a crucial tip from a taxi driver led authorities to a grim discovery.

Chapters

• 0:26 Nationwide Manhunt for Benjamin Foster
• 8:02 Justice and Healing From Tragedy

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:26

I'm your host, christy Chanel, and this is the Love you Miss you Bye podcast true crime edition. We now pick up in part two, where there is a nationwide manhunt for Benjamin Foster. He has held Justine hostage and brutally attacked her in all of the ways we mentioned in part one. Her friend, angie, is the one that made that 911 call and showed up on the scene. This attack took place in Grants Pass, oregon, where he grew up and his parents live today. The detectives go to speak to Benjamin's parents. They said that he came in in a whirlwind. He starts to go through all of his clothes and they're asking him what are you doing? Are you moving in with Justine? The officer stops him and says I can't get into too much detail, but she's in the hospital in really, really bad shape. And his dad says well, that fits what happened in Vegas. So they don't seem shocked to learn that their son is a monster. You know what? It wouldn't surprise me if you didn't try to head back to Vegas. Yeah, yeah, you know something.

Speaker 1: 1:52

On January 26, 2024, the detectives receive a tip that Benjamin Foster is in the Sunnyvale area, which is a small woodsy area with a lot of ranches. They found out that the home that Benjamin Foster was staying at was a house owned by Tina Jones. Benjamin is alerted due to the dogs barking like crazy that there's a problem. Goes out. He goes on top of the roof. He's got binoculars. He's looking to try to see what's going on. He figures out he's being watched. He jumps down and then a chase ensues. They do not catch up to where he goes. They can't find him. They lost touch. They have no idea where he's at.

Speaker 1: 2:36

Mission failed, turns out Tina was actually a friend of the parents of Ben Foster, so harboring a fugitive. When they went into Tina's house they found a backpack. In that backpack there were three burner phones, his license, large sums of money. The most interesting thing that they found was an iPad covered in tinfoil. He had covered all of his electronic devices in tinfoil, but they were able to see that he was actually on the dating apps, still either looking for a way out of the state or looking for his next victim. Sends chills down my spine. So the police officers tell the news outlets hey, get, put this out there. Let everybody else know he is looking on the dating apps. This is his picture. Do not, under any circumstances, come in contact with this man. He is dangerous and a fugitive for abusing, kidnapping. A gamut of charges, all the charges. There is a manhunt right now for a suspect in a brutal kidnapping who police say may actually be searching online right now for his next victim.

Speaker 1: 3:49

When this national manhunt hit the news, jamie later got a call from Ben's brother who said I'm sorry that I didn't leave you, I'm sorry that I thought you were making it up but you weren't, and I want you to be careful because I don't know where he's going to go next. And I saw what he did to the woman that's in the hospital. He's she's hurt really bad and I just wanted to apologize to you because I didn't want to think that my brother could do that. It's like every time you hear cases like this, you'll hear friends and family say they just that wasn't the Ben, I knew that wasn't the Tom, I knew they were always so sweet and charming and nice and I would have never suspected them to do that, or that's not what my brother would have done. It's the people that you at least expect to do it. I think that's what makes them get away with their crime. It's because nobody suspects them. They're charming, they're nice, they're good looking. Nobody suspects them. Ben's own brother didn't suspect he was an abuser, a killer, anything like that, and he grew up with them. They hide these demons and these secrets and that's how they get away with it.

Speaker 1: 5:09

Later, on June 30th, the police are speaking with Lisa. Okay, that was the house that he was staying in. She went to jail for harboring a fugitive. When they went to speak with her, they are asking her do you know anything? You know what's happening? Where? Do you know where he could be? And she said that he told her he got into a fight with his parents and needed a place to stay. She did not know he was a fugitive. Of course, we'll never know the truth of that. Maybe Ben's parents asked her to help him, we don't know. But then she says that she has two dogs, because they're saying could Ben actually still be holding up in your house? And she says no, I have my neighbors going to check on my dogs, so he better not be because he'll be caught. Richard Barron is who this neighbor was and he agreed to take care of the dogs while Lisa's going through incarceration.

Speaker 1: 6:10

Finally, the cops get a tip on January 31st from a taxi driver who received a call for a ride from Richard Barron. He knew Richard Barron was older and the person that called was a younger male. He had also known about the manhunt, so he declined the ride and called the cops, which set off a string of events that the cops would now go to Richard Benson's house, because, well, that's odd. The police then went off to Richard's house to see what was going on. They found both Richard and his caretaker deceased in the home. Turns out, another cab driver did say yes and picked up Benjamin and dropped him off back at Grants Pass in Oregon at Justine's residence. Now they had a place to go. Look, why would he go back to Justine's residence? Now they had a place to go. Look. Why would he go back to Justine's residence, though? Because he knows that she's in the hospital or thinks that she's dead and nobody will be occupying the house. He was right, nobody was occupying the house.

Speaker 1: 7:14

The police went to get a search warrant so that they could go into the house. The police went to get a search warrant so that they could go into the house. They had tear gas and SWAT team and you name it. They were going to take him out, except when they went into the house he wasn't in there and they thought that they had really, really messed up. Until one of the dogs picked up a scent. He wasn't in there and they thought that they had really, really messed up, until one of the dogs picked up a scent. The dog indicated that there was movement underneath the house, so they sent their drone in to try to see what was happening.

Speaker 1: 8:02

It turns out Benjamin Foster the coward that he is shot himself in the head underneath the house. A man accused of kidnapping and torturing a woman in Oregon is dead. The good news, the positive news, is Justine would go on to wake up from a coma. She would go on to be able to have a job, see her friends, see her family. All in all, this man, this coward, this monster that took his own life, gave peace to Amber, jamie and Justine, because they no longer had to look over their shoulder and hope that this man was not going to find them and finish the job. He was a mentally disturbed person and I'm glad he's no longer here. Love you, miss you, bye. Outro Music.