Mother and child rescued from captivity after delivery driver spots emergency message

A police SWAT team stormed the house and found the pair were being held against their will

The UPS worker was shocked to find the emergency SOS note on the package he was delivering (file photo) (Getty Images)

A mother and her three-year-old child were freed from captivity in their own home after a delivery driver noticed an emergency message written on a package he was transferring.

"Call 911", the US police emergency number, the message read. And shortly after picking up the package from the house in Robertsville, Missouri the driver did exactly that.

Officers later discovered James Tyler Jordan, 33, was holding his wife and child captive in a locked bedroom at the property.

The pair had reportedly been denied food and water, and the woman accused her husband of physically and sexually abusing her during a prolonged ordeal, according to the KMOV TV news channel.

An armed SWAT team proceeded to storm the house and Mr Jordan was taken into custody. The woman and child were meanwhile taken into care. They have not been named to protect their identities.

James Tyler Jordan, who allegedly kept his wife and child captive (Franklin County Sheriff's Office)

Mr Jordan had access to a range of firearms and had threatened to kill his wife, she told police officers. The delivery driver, who has also not been named, was praised for his quick thinking.

"He made a huge difference," said Franklin County Sheriff' Sergeant T.J. Wild.

His employer also praised him, saying in a statement: "We are grateful this driver with more than a decade of service followed protocol when he saw a customer in distress and contacted authorities after he saw her message to contact 911."

"Our drivers are very familiar with their routes, and are trained to be aware of their surroundings and respond to requests for assistance."

Mr Jordan has been charged with domestic assault, sodomy without consent, felonious restraint, unlawful use of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child. He is being held on a $100,000 bond.