A Chicago grandmother was rescued from a 17-hour hostage ordeal after her daughter noticed she had not completed her daily Wordle puzzle.

Denyse Holt, 80, was alone when a naked intruder entered her home, on Morse Avenue, at 3am last Sunday and awoke her brandishing a pair of scissors.

Suspect James Davis III, 32, then collected all the telephones and mobile phones within the house, preventing Ms Holt from contacting anyone.

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She was then locked in the basement bathroom with a chair securing the door.

Davis then allegedly took knives from the kitchen and retreated to the second floor of her home.

On Sunday evening, the victim’s daughter, Meredith Holt-Caldwell, grew concerned that her mother hadn’t responded to texts – or sent her the daily Wordle puzzle, which was out of character. She called a neighbour, who contacted the police to conduct a well-being check.

At 9.40pm, police found a broken window on the first floor of the single-family home, along with visible blood on the scene.

Ms Holt was immediately taken to safety where she was found to be physically unharmed.

“I didn’t think I was going to live,” Ms Holt told CBS News.

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

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Police said they also discovered Davis at the property. After unsuccessfully using a taser on him, a SWAT team was sent into the home. He was successfully apprehended just before 3am on Monday morning.

It is believed Davis had been suffering a mental health crisis when he discarded his clothes and broke into the victim’s residence.

He now faces several felony charges – including aggravated kidnapping while armed, home invasion with a dangerous weapon and assault of an officer.

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