Texas mother hides in woods with daughters to escape husband's alleged abuse

(CBS) VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas - Police say 27-year-old Lisa Holden who was allegedly beaten repeatedly by her husband, hid in the woods for two days with her young daughters to in an attempt to escape.

Josh Holden, 28, was arrested by Van Zandt Country Sheriff's deputies Monday after testimony from his wife that he had brutally beaten her the last week in March, sheriff's investigator Kristie Holt said Wednesday.

The Tyler Paper reports investigators received a call from the Van Police Department after a passerby found the wife and two small children on the side of a road.

According to Holt, "The good Samaritan could tell that she'd obviously been assaulted."

"Her head had been shaved and it looked like she had been scalped," Holt said. "She had wounds all over her body, from bruises to open wounds pretty much on her arms and legs."

The Dallas Morning News reports Lisa Holden was in critical condition for 10 days with two broken legs and head injuries. She reportedly lapsed in and out of consciousness during her time in hiding with her daughters from the wounds.

The newspaper reports Lisa Holden told authorities that on March 22, her husband beat her with a piece of electrical wiring and a baseball bat because he was angry that she was not quickly getting their children ready for school.

Investigators said Lisa Holden told authorities that when her husband's truck wouldn't start, he brought jumper cables inside and continued to beat her with them.

"He had told her that that was just a taste of what she was going to get, and when he returned, he was going to kill her," Holt said. "When he left, being in fear for her life, she took the two small children, went into a wooded area near her home and hid, pretty much for two days."

Lisa reportedly remained in the woods, and tried to flag down passing cars for help.

ABC affiliate KLTV reports that according to Holt, Josh Holden abused and tortured his wife for seven years, keeping her locked in the house, until she escaped in March.

Officials said a judge lowered Josh Holden's bond from $750,000 to $100,000 and ordered him to wear a GPS tracking device. He was released from the Van Zandt County Jail Wednesday.

Holden faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

The Holden's children are in the custody of a foster family, Holt said, and the wife was still being treated for her injuries at a local hospital.