Chicago Woman Rescued From Naked Kidnapper Thanks To Wordle

An Illinois woman has Wordle, her family and the Lincolnwood Police Department to thank after being rescued from a naked intruder.

According to CBS 2, 32-year-old James H. Davis III is facing felony charges after breaking into 80-year-old Denyse Holt's home and holding her hostage.

"I was in shock," Holt said.

Davis broke into Holt's home through a window. Once he entered the house, he crawled into bed with her, but Holt stayed calm.

"I was trying to survive, that's all," Holt told CBS 2. "He said 'I won't harm you or molest you.'"

Holt says Davis told her to take a shower with him. "Then he said, 'No, I'm not warm enough. We have to take a bath.'"

She also recalled that he took her around the house after the bath and disconnected the phones, all while leaving a trail of blood from when he broke in through the window.

"He took two knives from my kitchen. He told me he liked those," she noted.

Davis locked her into the basement bathroom and barred the door with a chair.

"I didn't think I was going to live," Holt stated.

She was locked in her home for 17-hours. While she was kept in the basement, Holt said she exercised and kept herself moving. "I was doing marching and stretching as much as I could."

Luckily for Holt, her family noticed something was off.

Her daughter, who lives in Seattle, thought it was odd that her mom hadn't read her text messages and did not send an update on the game Wordle.

"I didn't send my older daughter a Wordle in the morning. And that was disconcerting to her," Holt said.

Friends and family decided to call the Lincolnwood Police Department for a well-being check on February 6 at 9:40 p.m.

When police arrived, an hours-long standoff began with Davis and authorities.

Holt's family members told the news outlet that the SWAT team used a stun gun through a hole in the door to take Davis down.

Davis is facing felony charges, including home invasion with a dangerous weapon, aggravated kidnapping while armed with a dangerous weapon, and aggravated assault against a peace officer, the Lincolnwood Police Department confirmed.

"I never thought in a million years this is what was happening, but it was," Holt's daughter, Meredith Holt-Caldwell, said.

Police say Holt was taken to safety and deemed to be physically unharmed.

"I'm very lucky," Holt said.