Woman Being Held Hostage Rescued Because She Didn't Send Her Daughter Daily Wordle Score!

The popular word game Wordle just saved a life!

Denyse Holt, an 80-year-old woman living in Lincolnwood, Illinois was sound asleep on early Sunday morning when a naked man broke into her home. She woke up to find him standing by her bed, bleeding, and holding a pair of scissors. According to the Washington Post, the man also warned:

“If you talk, if you yell or you scream, I’m going to cut you.”

Terrifying!

The man then got into bed with her but claimed that he had no intention to harm or molest her. And while she wasn’t physically harmed in the ordeal, things took a scary turn when the man dragged her around the house to disconnect phones. She was then forced to take a bath with him, though she kept her nightgown on. Afterward, Holt was banished to the basement bathroom, which is unheated, and was barricaded inside.

She was left without her medicine, food, or heat — and no indication of how long she might be trapped down there. Simply put, she feared the worse, telling CBS-2 in Chicago:

“I didn’t think I was going to live.”

Unwilling to go down easily, Denyse spent the next 17 hours doing marching exercises and stretches in the dark bathroom in hopes of keeping warm, especially since she was still wet from the bath. She later told the Washington Post:

“I don’t want to die like this, and I don’t want my kids to hear that their mother was murdered.”

These tactics likely helped her remain alert for the incident, but there was an even more miraculous discovery happening across the country that would ultimately save her life.

According to CBS-2, Holt’s oldest daughter Meredith Holt-Caldwell — 2,100 miles away in Seattle — realized her mom hadn’t read her texts from the previous night, and worse, she hadn’t sent her daily score from Wordle that morning. If you don’t know, Wordle is a popular word game that gives players six tries to guess a five-letter word. Denyse told the TV station:

“I didn’t send my older daughter a Wordle in the morning. And that was disconcerting to her.”

Sensing something was wrong, Meredith called the Lincolnwood Police, who headed to the home to perform a wellness check at around 9:40 p.m. on Sunday — and thank goodness they did! The man was still in the home and it took an hours-long standoff to get him out. He was later identified as 32-year-old James H. Davis III. Police told CBS News that they believe he suffers from mental issues, but did not elaborate further.

James was arrested and charged with home invasion with a dangerous weapon, aggravated kidnapping while armed with a dangerous weapon, and aggravated assault against a police officer. He’s yet to enter a plea and court records do not show that he has an attorney to speak on his behalf at this time.

As she processes the ordeal, Holt’s just grateful to be alive, telling the Washington Post:

“I still feel lucky to be alive. I never thought I would come out of that alive.”

To see scenes from the standoff and get an inside look at the bathroom Holt was trapped in, take a look at this CBS Chicago interview (below).

This is such a great example of why it’s so important to stay in contact with family or friends so that there are clues if something is amiss!! Who knew Wordle scores would be so life-saving!!

[Image via CBS Chicago/YouTube]