We all know about Wordle. The puzzle word game you see your friends posting on their facebook each morning.
Denyse Holt, 80, A Chicago-area grandmother sent her daughter a worlde game every morning. When Denyse didn’t send a game one day, her family knew something was wrong.
The night of February 5th, Denyse had woken up to a man in her home. He was naked with scissors in his hand and covered in blood. Denyse said the man had cut himself while breaking into her house
She managed to stay calm as the man got into bed with her. She was ordered to take a shower with him, and a bath in her nightgown.
“I was in shock,”, “I was trying to survive — that’s all.” – Denyse Holt
Denyse said he left a trail of blood through her house while she and the man went around to disconnect her phones.
“He took two knives from my kitchen. He told me he liked those,” she said. “I didn’t think I was going to live.”
Her daughter lives in Seattle, more than 2,000 miles away, and was worried after she noticed her mother had not responded to her texts and did not play their daily game of Wordle.
“I didn’t send my older daughter a Wordle in the morning. And that was disconcerting to her,” Holt said.
So, Denyse’s daughter Meridith called police, requesting a welfare check.
After an hours long stand off, Denyse was taken to safety and was physically unharmed. A SWAT team took the suspect into custody using a stun gun.
32-year-old James H. Davis III, now faces felony charges including home invasion, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault. Police believe the suspect has mental issues.
Denyse’s family hopes people learn from what happened to her — mainly the importance of staying in touch with loved ones.
“I’m very lucky,” Denyse said.
