Locksmith helps save Utah woman who wrote ‘911’ on her hand in a silent plea for help

(CNN) — A woman being held in her Midway, Utah, home was rescued Friday after she wrote “911” on her hand to signal that she needed help.

Wasatch County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home by a locksmith who’d been hired to change the lock on her front door, according to a report from the sheriff’s office.

Midway is about 45 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.

The report said the locksmith told authorities that when he finished the work and gave the woman his invoice, she showed him her hand, which had “911” written on it.

He said there was a man in the house, who “acted suspiciously, staying close to the female and only allowing her to have her phone with his permission,” according to the report.

The locksmith, who asked to be identified by only his first name, Greg, told CNN he didn’t know either person before he was called to the house.

“Being a locksmith, I have been involved in some, some domestic situations, but nothing quite like this,” he said.

When deputies arrived at the home, they learned that the man, identified as Grant Eggertsen, had been in a relationship with the woman in the past and had entered the home without her permission Thursday, the report said.

According to the report, the woman said Eggertsen was upset that she was dating someone else and they began to argue.

She also said that during the argument, Eggertsen assaulted her and would not allow her to leave her house or have her phone so she could make calls.

CNN spoke to Eggertsen’s attorney, Clifford Venable, who declined to comment.

The deputies arrested Eggertsen and the Wasatch County Attorney’s Office charged him with aggravated kidnapping in the course of committing unlawful detention, criminal trespass and assault.

The Wasatch County Justice Court ordered Eggertsen to be held without bail but the Fourth District Court changed the order and he was released from the Wasatch County Jail on a $5,000.00 bond.

The locksmith told CNN affiliate KSTU that the woman showed him her hand twice.

“So obviously, that drew some attention from me. But I was wearing a mask, so I couldn’t mouth anything to her or anything,” Greg told KSTU. “She’s showing me the ‘911’ again, kind of making sure that I saw it. And I made eye contact with her, to basically let her know that yeah, I saw it.”

Greg told KSTU that he called a friend in the FBI to ask what to do and then called 911.

The sheriff’s report said that the woman had scheduled the locksmith’s visit before Eggertsen arrived because she wanted to keep him out of her house.

“The lady was pretty smart to be able to do what she did,” Greg told KSTU. “And so, it’s not like I was trying to guess what was really going on. She gave me some great clues that there was an issue there.”

National Domestic Violence Hotline: Call 1-800-799-7233 or text LOVEIS to 22522
Available 24/7. Can connect callers with local resources and immediate support. Also available through its online chat tool.