Woman who was swept away by floodwater Thursday night in Webster County has been identified

WEBSTER COUNTY, Mo. (KY3) - A woman’s body swept away in flash floodwaters Thursday night and was recovered Saturday night, has been identified.

Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Mike McClure says the woman has been identified as 49-year-old Annette L. Mesicek of Mount Vernon, Missouri. Sgt. McClure says Mesicek was pronounced dead Saturday night by the Christain County coroner.

Webster County Sheriff Roye Cole says Mesicek’s body was found around 4 miles downstream from where her vehicle was swept away Thursday.

“The community really stepped up,” says Cole. “They really fought hard to make it out. Our hearts really go out to her family.”

The search started early Friday morning. Flash flood waters caught the vehicle at around 11 p.m. Thursday, near the Finley River Crossing on Route Z south of Fordland.

Where a family was swept away in flood waters in Webster County Thursday night.(KY3)

Sheriff Cole says it happened because the heavy rain made seeing in the dark Thursday night difficult. The driver couldn’t see the water over the bridge. As they started to cross, flood water crashed into the vehicle -- bringing limbs and debris. Their vehicle was swept away. MSHP troopers say the floodwaters ended up being five feet deep in the area.

The three stood on top of the vehicle, and a man and a woman survived by making it to shore. The man was taken to a local hospital to be checked out as a precaution. Rescue crews searched for the woman for several hours on Friday but had to suspend their search at around 2:30 a.m. as conditions worsened. The search started Friday morning again after the sun came up. Crews put boats in the water and had people searching along the banks most of the day.

Search efforts resumed Saturday morning. Sheriff Cole says around 50 volunteers and crews from several agencies were hitting the water to look for the missing woman. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says crews used drones, boats, and other means to search the water and had several people searching debris piles along the banks.

Sheriff Cole says her body was spotted around four miles downstream at around 5:30 p.m. Saturday. He and a few volunteers pulled her remains out of the water and waited for the coroner. Her remains have been positively identified as the missing woman, and her family has been notified.

Previous coverage:

https://www.ky3.com/2023/03/26/crews-webster-county-searched-saturday-woman-missing-floodwaters/

https://www.ky3.com/2023/03/24/breaking-one-still-unaccounted-webster-county-emergency-crews-conduct-water-rescue/

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