The Penticton, B.C., man wanted for almost beating a young mother to death in front of her infant was in dire financial trouble and was facing eviction on the very same day of the attack.

Police launched a manhunt for 35-year-old David Wesley Bobbitt over the weekend, but say they are not conducting any aerial searches because they don't know where to begin.

Bobbitt, who is considered armed and dangerous and facing an attempted murder charge, hasn't been seen since a 22-year-old woman was discovered in his second-hand store on Sunday.

Police say she was bashed repeatedly in the head with a hammer and sexually assaulted over a 15-hour period. Her 22-month-old toddler was also found inside the store, unharmed.

The victim was reported missing on Saturday after she didn't show up to drop off her son on her way to work. Her family found her car parked on Ellis Street in downtown Penticton and, unsatisfied with the response by local police, began kicking in doors in the area.

Bobbitt was convicted in 2005 of possessing a weapon for dangerous purposes in connection to an incident a year earlier in Nelson. Police say there have been several investigations into his alleged violent behaviour, but no formal charges.

Penticton City Hall said the suspect's business licence had expired in January and the owner of the building housing Dave's Second Hand had evicted him. Landlord Theo Dosakis says Bobbitt owes him $15,000 in rent money.

"We were supposed to go this morning … to change the locks with the locksmith and the bailiff, but all this thing happened Saturday night so now can't get into the property because it's now secured by RCMP," he said.

People who know him say Bobbitt's life appears to have been sliding downhill, with his business failing.

"I had seen him get more miserable lately," said acquaintance Kevin Wagner.

"All his consignment people I don't think he had records of who gave him what because I gave him something to sell for me and he told me it got stolen or disappeared so I never seen the money off of it."

Questions remain

Investigators say the victim may have visited the store before, but that the attack appears to have been random.

Dr. Stephen Hart, an SFU criminologist, disagrees with the police theory, saying that the incident "reflects planning or forethought on the part of the perpetrator."

Hart says criminals often target someone not for who they are but for the internal problems they represent.

He says that Bobbitt will likely be highly emotionally charged while on the run, which makes him a danger to the public – but easier to catch.

Hart points to cases like Allan Schoenborn, who murdered his children and then fled into the woods near his Merritt home. The hunt lasted for six days, but ended when Schoenborn was captured by a woodsman when he was too sick to carry on.

"That's a real concern for people. It makes them easier to catch for the police. They don't make good decisions about how to hide. They have random encounters, they come across other people, they may engage in violence," Hart said.

Hart said people in high emotional states have a higher risk of doing themselves harm as well.

The search is on

Police don't know whether Bobbitt is hiding out in Penticton, or whether he's even still in the Okanagan.

Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said Bobbitt does not own a car but may have access to one and could be virtually anywhere.

Eight investigators are working the case exclusively, but with no confirmed sightings police are relying on the public to spot the suspect and contact them immediately.

The victim remains in hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries.

"Again the emotional trauma and stress that this young woman has endured because of this incident is in the first and foremast of the minds of the family as to helping her out through this at this time," Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said.

A trust fund for her and her son is being set up at TD Bank under the name "Support for Penticton Hostage Survivors."

The suspect is described as a white male, 5-7 tall and 180 lbs. He has brown eyes, brown, balding hair and no facial hair.

Police are asking anyone who sees Bobbitt, or knows where he is, to immediately call 911. Anyone with information regarding the incident can contact the Penticton RCMP at 250-492-4300 or via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.