A kidnapped Utah woman escaped captivity by writing 911 on her hand and showing it to a nearby locksmith, police said.
The woman told the police she was held against her will at her Midway home, about 45 miles away from Salt Lake City, by Grant Nielsen Eggertsen, 45, the Deseret News reported.
She claimed Eggertsen, who had a key, showed up to her home unannounced Thursday night, walked inside, and took her phone away.
“She asked him to leave multiple times, and he would not leave, and he was holding her in her room against her will,” authorities wrote, adding that the 45-year-old suspect also threatened to set her house on fire.
The next day, a locksmith was called to change the locks on the front door.
While he was changing the locks, the woman discreetly showed him that she wrote “911” on her hand. The locksmith then dialed 911 and told dispatchers there was a man in the house who was staying close to the woman while she was in her home.
The locksmith said she also had to ask the suspect for her phone to pay to change the locks.
When an officer arrived at the home to investigate, the woman “quickly opened the door and walked fast out the front door and stated that [Eggertsen] was downstairs in the house,” authorities said.
They learned that Eggertsen had been in a relationship with the victim in the past and entered her home without her permission, CNN reported.
The woman said Eggertsen was upset she had been dating someone else, and the two began to argue before he allegedly assaulted her and held her hostage inside her home.
The officer said he also noticed the 911 message scribbled on the woman’s hand, as well as two emails she sent to people pleading for help.
The case is being investigated as a domestic violence incident.
Eggertsen faces multiple charges, including aggravated kidnapping and criminal trespass.