A tragic accident in Lincoln County due to weather conditions Saturday night left three men dead.

The Highway Patrol reports their vehicle was traveling along Highway 27 near Rock Dam Road when the car slid off the road, hit a tree, and overturned into the rising waters of Rockdam Creek following heavy rain in the area.

Troopers say all three were entrapped in the vehicle that was submerged in six feet of water.

Reports say those killed were 46-year-old Andrew Jacob Abernathy, 22-year-old Sebastian Lee Fredell, and the car’s driver 52-year-old Lloyd Neal.

The state highway patrol continues to investigate.

A Marion outdoor lawn equipment business was recently hit by thieves, as McDowell County investigators need the public’s help in locating the stolen item and information on the suspect who took it.

A yellow Hustler Raptor 60-inch deck mower was reported taken from Outdoor Speciality Equipment on Montgford Cove Road sometime on May 31^st or June 1^st.

Anyone having information about the theft, suspect, or whereabouts of the mower should call the McDowell Sheriff’s Office at 652-2237.

Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report America’s measles outbreak continues to grow.

One thousand-22 cases have been reported through June 6^th; up 41 from the center’s last update.

Experts say the outbreak appears to be linked to travelers bringing measles back from other countries such as Israel, the Ukraine, and the Philippines where large measles outbreaks are occurring.

The latest numbers indicate the greatest number of cases in the country since 1992 when there were 22-hundred cases reported.

Measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000.

Cases have been reported in 28 states; none reported yet in NC but some in bordering states of Tennessee and Virginia.