Illinois police reported that they have successfully rescued an 80-year-old Lincolnwood woman who was kept hostage in her home for 18 hours last weekend after her daughter noticed a missing Wordle update from the victim.
The victim, identified as Denyse Holt, said she discovered a naked man lying in bed next to her last weekend. The ordeal stretched into a lengthy incident that ended on Sunday night after police conducted a wellness check on the woman at around 9:40 p.m.
Wordle-Aided Rescue
Law enforcement quickly arrested a Chicago man in connection to the incident and came after Holt's daughter became concerned when her mother did not respond to text messages. She said that she became worried after her mother did not pass along her Wordle score for the day.
Wordle is an online word game that has continued to receive praise and fans across the United States. It involves players trying to guess a mystery five-letter word using only six attempts and each day brings a new word and a new challenge for puzzle lovers.
The suspect, identified as 32-year-old James Harris from Chicago, was ordered held without bond after his arrest. Officials charged the man with Felony X home invasion and aggravated kidnapping with a dangerous weapon, as per Patch.
The victim said that Harris was armed with scissors and told her that if she screamed, he would cut her. Law enforcement believes that the suspect got into Holt's home by breaking one of the windows. The elderly woman added that the suspect ordered her to shower with him and dragged her around the house disconnecting phones.
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Harris eventually took Holt to a basement bathroom and barricaded it using a chair, keeping the 80-year-old woman there for nearly a day. The suspect left the victim with no windows, no medication, and in pain. While Harris gave Holt access to water, he did not give her food to eat.
Kiro7 reported that after Holt's daughter reported her concerns to police, authorities had an hours-long standoff with the suspect. They were later able to subdue Harris by using a stun gun through a hole in the door to incapacitate him.
Held Hostage
In a similar incident, a Lowe's delivery driver in Illinois, who was held hostage by a customer, was fired by the company after he posted a video of the incident. The young victim was reportedly doing his job of dropping off a washer and a dryer at a customer's home.
However, the woman who owned the home suddenly blocked the door, preventing the young man from leaving. She said that she worked for the police department and was allegedly furious that the driver was 15 minutes early.
The victim, identified as Corey, kept his cool despite the customer becoming even more unreasonable as time went on. Lowe's defended the firing of the man by saying that the video showed the customer's personal information that could lead to a lawsuit. But many expressed their concerns after the company ignored the fact that the employee was essentially held hostage, WBCKFM reported.
Lowe's reached out to HNGN and has denied any association with the delivery driver and refuted reports of his dismissal.
"This is not an associate of Lowe's. Lowe's is not involved in any employment action involving this individual and is unaware of any legal action being taken against him," a Lowe spokesperson said.
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