Three people died in the Ozarks after being swept away in Thursday's flash floods

A Mount Vernon woman's body was recovered over the weekend after being swept away by flash flooding, the third area death following Thursday's heavy rainfall.

Annette L. Mesicek, 49, was reportedly swept away by floodwaters on Thursday night at Finley River Crossing on Route Z south of Fordland, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Two other occupants in Mesicek's vehicle, which stalled on the bridge, survived.

Mesicek's body, which was identified by the Christian County Coroner's Office, was discovered Saturday, miles downstream. MSHP said dozens of volunteers and multiple agencies searched for the woman.

The Logan-Rogersville Fire Protection District, which responded to the incident, said it was called out to eight water rescue calls between late Thursday night and early Saturday morning.

"We have several bridges on state routes that are not high above water," Logan-Rogersville Fire Protection Chief Rich Stirts said. "If you're familiar with the area (during a flash flood), you can end up in the water before you know it."

Forty miles northeast from the Finley River Crossing incident, two young men also died after being swept away in the flood after midnight Thursday near Hartville.

MSHP said the vehicle the men were in attempted to cross a Parks Creek bridge on Highway M before it was swept roughly 1,000 feet downstream. Four of the vehicle's six occupants were able to escape the water.

The bodies of Springfield resident Alex Roman-Ranelli, 19, and 20-year-old Devin Holt of Grovespring were discovered hours later on Friday morning by search crews.

In both fatal incidents, authorities noted that the combination of darkness and torrential rainfall likely made it extremely difficult for the drivers to see.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Three dead following Thursday's flash floods