📍 Location: Mustion Creek, near West Plains, Missouri
📅 Date of Incident: Friday, April 4, 2025
📅 Body Recovered: Sunday, April 6, 2025
🕒 Time Pronounced Dead: 2:14 p.m.
🕊️ Tragic Incident at UT Austin’s Perry-Castañeda Library
🕊️ Tragic Loss
Authorities have confirmed a second flood-related death in the West Plains area following recent severe weather. A 45-year-old local man drowned after his vehicle was swept off a low-water crossing in Mustion Creek amid rising floodwaters on Friday evening.
He attempted to exit the vehicle in an effort to escape, but tragically drowned before reaching safety. His body was recovered on Sunday by emergency responders and confirmed deceased at the scene by the Howell County Coroner.
His identity is being withheld pending family notification.
🚨 Multiple Incidents
This marks the second fatality in the area that evening. Roughly 20 minutes earlier, a 57-year-old man from O’Fallon, Missouri also drowned under similar circumstances after exiting his vehicle during a separate flooding incident.
These two deaths are the first drowning fatalities of 2025 in Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop G jurisdiction.
⚠️ Safety Reminder
Officials continue to stress the importance of avoiding floodwaters. The Missouri State Highway Patrol, local emergency services, and the National Weather Service urge drivers:
- Never drive through flooded roadways
- Avoid low-water crossings during or after storms
- Turn Around, Don’t Drown®
🧠 Community Support
As the West Plains community mourns these tragic losses, local authorities remind residents to prioritize safety during ongoing weather events and offer condolences to the families affected.