"Keep a Hammer in your Closet"

Granny Trapped In Closet Breaks Hole Through Wall To Escape

Woman Trapped For More Than 20 Hours

DENTON, N.C. -- A Davidson County woman, trapped in a closet for more than 20 hours, smashed a hole through a wall in desperation to finally escape. Susan Mitchell, of Denton, said she was scared when television stations in the area began broadcasting tornado watches and warnings during Tuesday's severe storms. Mitchell said she grabbed her cats and took cover in a closet."I fell asleep and I woke up and I wanted to get out and I couldn't get out," she said. Apparently, in her rush for safety she forgot the closet door locked from the outside. Mitchell said she tried to break down the door, but it was too strong. Then she slipped a note under the door that read "Help, I'm trapped in the closet since Tuesday night. 12 a.m.", hoping someone searching for her might find it.

Mitchell said she began to grow frantic after 20 hours passed with no food, water, or medicine for her diabetes. "I was just like 'oh please God let me out. I can't stand to be in here any longer,'" she said. That's when, in desperation, Mitchell, who works out at a gym three days a week, said she decided to smash a hole through the wall.

The force of her swings made a hole a little more than a foot wide. "I threw another blanket out there on the floor and pillow and squeezed through," she said smiling. "Not bad for a grandma." Mitchell was not injured during the ordeal but did offer advice to anyone who might find themselves in her predicament.


"So I say to everybody 'keep a hammer in your closet, tie your cell phone around your neck, and be in shape,'" she said.