Woman, 80, held hostage by naked intruder is rescued after failing to send family her daily Wordle score

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By Nika Shakhnazarova

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Police discovered an 80-year-old woman being held against her will at home by an intruder following concerns she hadn't shared her Wordle score that day.

The woman's family requested a wellness check partly because she hadn't sent her daughter her Wordle score that day, per CBS 2 Chicago.

Denyse Holt - who hails from Lincolnwood, Illinois - woke up last Saturday trapped in her home with an intruder.

Watch the full report on the incident right here:

The intruder was a naked and bleeding man who held scissors in his hand, she told authorities. She woke up in her bed at 1 AM, and the man threatened to cut her with the scissors if she made a noise.

The man then got into the bed with her, CBS 2 Chicago reported.

He told Holt he needed all of her blankets. When he got the blankets, he instructed her to get in the shower and bathe with him, she told The Washington Post.

Then, he locked her in a basement bathroom, where she spent 17 hours sitting on the floor without food or clothing.

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Credit: YouTube/CBS Chicago

She told The Washington Post that the man refused to bring her food or medicine.

"I didn't think I was going to live," she told CBS 2 Chicago. "I was doing marching and stretching as much as I could."

"I still feel lucky to be alive. I never thought I would come out of that alive," she added.

Holt was rescued by police who at the family's request conducted a wellness check. One of Holt's daughters called the police, in part, because her mom had not shared her Wordle score that day.

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Credit: Ted Hsu / Alamy

Holt's daughters were also unable to reach her by phone. Holt told the outlet: "I didn't send my older daughter a Wordle in the morning. And that was disconcerting to her."

When police entered the home, they found Holt in the bathroom and the man upstairs with several knives.

The suspect had been exhibiting a "mental health crisis," and police shot him with a stun gun, per USA Today. They also called in the regional SWAT team.

The suspect now faces four felony charges that include home invasion with a dangerous weapon, aggravated kidnapping while armed with a dangerous weapon, and aggravated assault against a peace officer.

Featured image credit: Wachiwit / Alamy