(NewsNation) — Justine Siemens remained in critical condition as a police standoff with the man accused of kidnapping her ended Monday, local media outlets KDRV and KTVL reported.
Benjamin Foster, 36, was underneath a house in Grants Pass, Oregon as authorities tried to get him to surrender, a police lieutenant told KTVL-TV. An operator at the Grants Pass Police Department told NewsNation late Tuesday night that the department was “resuming normal activities,” and in a news release, the police department said the suspect was in custody.
Authorities called Foster “extremely dangerous” and offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to his arrest and prosecution. He was wanted on the following charges: attempted murder, kidnapping and assault. Police also that he was “actively” using dating sites to potentially find new victims or people who may be able to help him avoid police.
A friend of Siemens, who would like to remain anonymous, revealed to NewsNation on Monday night how Foster knew the victim, but she says it “wouldn’t be accurate” to say they were dating.
“Justine was a competitive bodybuilder some time ago. She’s a smart and charismatic woman. She’s the last person you could think that something like this would happen to. … It’s hard to say because we don’t know what position she was in to begin with, or what he (Foster) could have done to possibly subdue her.”
The family of Siemens released the following statement before police “resolved” the standoff : “She will survive this and as her family, we implore the nation to help bring her attacker to justice.”
Law enforcement officers surrounded the home Tuesday in Oregon, where they say Siemen was tortured, according to reports.
The friend said it’s “absolutely sickening” that Foster would go back to the home.
“Ben was a very quiet person, he always had something going on behind his eyes, you can tell he was very quiet, but taking in everything around him. A lot of people thought that he would be mean or angry because of his demeanor, or his attitude. But it just was he was very quiet and … you could always tell the wheels were turning and it was just a slow progression,” the friend said.
The friend said that tensions have been very high in their community since Foster was on the run.
“Not only is everybody concerned for Justine, and her health and well-being. Even small children are concerned. … Upset doesn’t even cover the energy that’s been going on in our in our community,” the friend said.
