Tinder, Hinge and Bumble confirm Oregon man who ‘tortures’ dating app victims does not have account

Several dating app companies have confirmed they do not have profiles that match the ‘horrific’ Oregon man, who police said was using the apps to lure new victims to ‘torture.’ 

Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, of Wolf Creek – located 60 miles north of the California border – is still on the run after he allegedly bound and nearly beat Justine Siemens, of Grants Pass, to death on January 24 in her home.

Siemens remains in the ICU in critical condition.  

Match Group – which owns Tinder, Hinge, OKCupid, Match, and Plenty of Fish – has confirmed it does not have a profile that matches Foster’s identity on their platforms, NPR reported. 

Bumble has also confirmed it has not found any profile matching Foster’s name, but is ‘working around the clock to identify any members based on the information that is available to us at this time,’ it told NPR. 

‘Any time we become aware of a report in the media, we proactively work to identify if the member is within our community and take swift action against their account,’ Bumble added. 

Benjamin Obadiah Foster, 36, of Wolf Creek – located 60 miles north of the California border – is still on the run after he allegedly bound and nearly beat Justine Siemens, of Grants Pass, to death on January 24 in her home

Police also warn Foster might ‘attempt to change his appearance by shaving his beard and hair or by changing his hair color’ and said that he is ‘extremely dangerous.’ The Grants Pass Police Department is asking the public to ‘pay particular attention to Foster’s facial structure and eyes since those features are very difficult to change’ 

Most dating apps do not allow users to run background checks on other users, but Tinder, Match, Plenty of Fish, and Stir have begun to rollout a program allowing singletons to use the platform Garbo to run one using their match’s first name and phone number. 

Match Group said it would continue to roll out the feature on other platforms, as well.

The Grants Pass Police Department said Foster was ‘using online dating applications to contact unsuspecting individuals who may be lured into assisting with the suspect’s escape or potentially as additional victims.’ 

Police also told CNN the incident ‘was not a random attack’ and that Foster and Siemens had a ‘prior relationship,’ but did not elaborate further. 

Police also warn Foster might ‘attempt to change his appearance by shaving his beard and hair or by changing his hair color’ and said he is ‘extremely dangerous.’ 

The Grants Pass Police Department is asking the public to ‘pay particular attention to Foster’s facial structure and eyes since those features are very difficult to change.’ 

Siemens (pictured) is still in the ICU after the attack and is in critical condition 

Authorities were alerted about the attack after her friend showed up to her home on January 24 after he couldn’t get in contact with her and ‘interrupted’ the torture. Police said the scene was ‘absolutely disgusting scene’ and ‘horrific’ 

He is wanted for attempted murder, kidnapping and assault, and police said ‘nothing is off the table with an individual like him.’ 

‘He’s definitely a threat to others,’ Police Chief Warren Hensman told CNN. ‘I think he would be a threat to somebody who might befriend him.’ 

Foster allegedly ‘bound and severely beat’ Siemens until she was unconscious inside her home on Shane Way on January 24. Police believe she was kidnapped between Monday and Tuesday evening. 

That day, a male friend arrived at Siemen’s home after he was unable to contact her and ‘interrupted’ the torture, according to The New York Times. 

Lieutenant Jeff Hattersley told the Times that Foster then fled in his 2008 Nissan Sentra and later ‘escaped into the wilderness’ on foot. 

Foster’s car was found at Tina Marie Jones’ house on Sunny Valley Loop in Wolf Creek, which is surrounded by a wooded area. The 68-year-old was arrested on Thursday on two counts of hindering prosecution for allegedly hiding Foster and is currently in the Josephine County Jail.

Investigators told CNN what they found inside Siemens’ home was an ‘absolutely disgusting scene’ that was ‘horrific.’ 

Police have accused him of ‘intentionally torturing’ Siemens for a ‘protracted amount of time.’  

After being interrupted, Foster reportedly fled the scene in his Nissan to Tina Marie Jones’ home in Wolf Creek, where his car was found and evidence that he was using dating apps to lure victims was found 

After serving a search warrant, Grants Pass Police, sheriff’s deputies, Oregon State Police SWAT team, and federal agents found Foster’s car at Jones’ residence and evidence that he was using dating apps to commit his crimes. 

Police dogs had searched the heavily wooded area behind the home but were unable to find him on Friday. Police believe the assailant befriended the 68-year-old because they lived in a similar area, Hattersley told the Times. 

‘We suspect that just from him living in the area, he had somehow gained a friendship with [Jones],’ he said.  

Hattersley also believed that if Siemen’s friend had not shown up to her residence on Tuesday, ‘we’d have a completely different investigation.’ 

‘It’s clear that his intent was to kill her,’ he told The New York Times. ‘I’ve been in law enforcement for 32 years, and this is one of the most heinous, terrible cases I’ve ever seen.’ 

Siemen’s friend Jacqueline Frankel said she saw the pair at the Corvette’s Bar and Grill in Grants Pass a few weeks before the alleged attack, although they were not hanging out. Siemens appeared to work at the restaurant, according to her Facebook page. 

Jones was arrested for allegedly helping him to hide and is in the Josephine County Jail 

Foster is also a bartender in Grants Pass. It is unclear if he worked at Corvette’s, but police said he did know Siemen’s prior to the attack. DailyMail.com has contacted the restaurant for comment. 

Frankel said Foster ‘just looked like a normal guy’ at the time but didn’t see him ‘hanging out’ with Siemens. 

This is not the first time Foster has faced similar allegations, as he was convicted in 2019 of holding his girlfriend captive in Las Vegas, where he was attending university. 

He reportedly held his girlfriend captive inside her own apartment for two weeks, and brutally tortured her. 

That victim, whose name was redacted from court records, received a shaved head, seven broken ribs, two black eyes, and chemical burns from lye, which Foster also allegedly forced her to eat, over the course of 16 days. 

He initially was charged with five felonies, including assault and battery, and faced decades in prison upon conviction. But, in August 2021, Foster reached a deal with Clark County prosecutors that allowed him to plead guilty to one felony count of battery and a misdemeanor count of battery constituting domestic violence.

Foster has been accused of holding his girlfriend hostage in her Las Vegas apartment in 2019. He reportedly held his girlfriend captive for two weeks, and brutally tortured her. 

See also  Blue Mountains bushwalkers found safe almost a week after disappearing

A judge sentenced him to up to 2.5 years in a Nevada prison. The 729 days he had spent in jail awaiting trial were factored into his punishment, leaving Foster with fewer than 200 days to serve in state custody 

He fled the scene earlier this month in his Nissan Sentra (pictured)  

A judge sentenced him to up to 2.5 years in a Nevada prison. The 729 days he had spent in jail awaiting trial were factored into his punishment, leaving Foster with fewer than 200 days to serve in state custody.

The woman also told police she was choked to the point of unconsciousness. 

She escaped when Foster let her out of his sight during a trip together to a grocery store and gas station. 

After spending several months in prison, Foster returned to Oregon, where ‘unfortunately, he found another woman to victimize in a very similar way,’ Hattersley told The New York Times. 

Court records show, Foster was out of custody at the time on a suspended jail sentence for carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. He also was 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 ‘sentenced to credit for time served.’

A friend said she saw the two at Corvette’s Bar and Grill weeks before the attack and that he ‘just looked like a normal guy,’ but said the pair were not ‘hanging out’ 

Grants Pass Police Chief Warren Hensman told AP on Thursday that it is ‘extremely troubling’ that Foster was out and able to prey on other women instead of still being behind bars for the Nevada crimes. 

Grants Pass Police are now warning the town of 40,000 that Foster is believed to be armed and ‘extremely dangerous.’ Foster is ‘trained in mixed martial arts,’ according to Siemen’s friend Ashley, who started the GoFundMe, which has raised more than $700 of its $100,000 goal. 

‘We are using every piece of technology available to locate this man,’ Hensman said.

Police are offering a $2,500 reward for anyone with information regarding the case and have set up a tip-line at 541-237-5607.