CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (WDRB) -- Looming over the scene of a 14-year-old's death Monday in Silver Creek is a billboard adorned with a city seal advertising recreation in the dam below.

As the water powerfully flowed through the creek Tuesday, the photo on the billboard featuring several people swimming and fishing on top of and below the dam spawned an uneasy feeling for Steve Acree.

"It's obviously a death trap down here," Acree said, looking over the dam. "It needs to be removed."

Acree was standing in the same area Tuesday as he did Monday night when he and a few other men spotted the body of a 14-year-old boy who hadn't been seen since falling from the dam to the water below that afternoon. Andre Edwards Jr. went into Silver Creek near Providence Way and went underwater around 4 p.m. and didn't resurface.

One of the boys with Andre went in the water to try and save Andre, Andre's mother Amanda Malott said.

"Conner Copas, which was one of the boys with AJ, realized AJ was ya know struggling and jumped in after him, and he had a hold of him, and it just — AJ was gone," Malott said.

Andre Edwards Jr. was swimming in Silver Creek near Providence Way when he went underwater around 4 p.m. and didn't resurface.

New Albany and Clarksville fire and police departments responded to the scene, according to New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey.

Police said after Andre fell off the dam, an undertow grabbed him and trapped him under the water. First responders searched Silver Creek from around 4 p.m. until sunset. They paused efforts around 9:30 p.m. due to darkness and planned to keep looking Tuesday morning.

A half-hour later, Acree and those other men who kept looking on their own used a rope and hook to find Andre's body just feet from the dam.

"We probably got down here close to 10 and we found him almost instantly," Acree said, pointing to the area the men found the body. "I'm down here all the time. I know the current. I figured that's where he would be — right here."

The men pulled the boy's body to the bank and notified authorities, who later arrived to take over. Andre was pronounced dead, but the exact cause is still being investigated.

Acree said he and the others felt a responsibility to Andre's family, who had remained at the scene even after search efforts had paused.

"There was probably eight or nine (family members) still here, and if I could help them resolve it, I wanted to resolve it that night so that they could go home and know that their son was found," he said.

Finding Andre's body Monday night helped bring relief and closure to those who witnessed the tragedy. By Tuesday, those feelings had shifted to frustration.

"The city of New Albany does not want the dam to be removed, so there's a turf war going on," said Josh Turner, a former city councilman for the area surrounding Silver Creek. "The dam, right now, is in the middle of litigation, and that's the delay."

The dangers of the Silver Creek dam are well known in the area — Malott even said she tried to warn her son not to go into the water when he said he was going to the creek.

“And he is like, 'no, no, no,' and he was like 'mom it only comes up to my waist.' But I'm like 'honey the current, it doesn't matter how deep it is, it will suck you under,'” Malott said.

Like Malott, Turner's frustrations are not new. The former councilman was a vocal force for the removal of the Silver Creek dam.

"We're inviting danger. We're saying, 'come down here to this low head dam, drop your kayak,' and it's promoting young people to come down here and get into a situation, unfortunately, like we had last night," Turner said.

He and others believe the area is dangerous and should be opened up anyway for a new park currently being developed in the area. 

River Heritage Conservancy is the nonprofit organization leading the project behind Origin Park. The group is working on a 430-acre riverfront park in Clarksville, which includes bike and walking paths, and more water access.

Turner said the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is even behind removing the dam, and permits have been filed with the state to do so. RHC had previously obtained a state permit to remove the dam, but the city of New Albany filed a lawsuit to block the removal. The issue is still caught up in Floyd Superior Court.

"Put the egos aside, put the politics aside and do the right thing," Turner said, echoing his message to city leaders. "This has to go."

WDRB News reached out to New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan for comment. He did not respond but, in November, released the following statement when the lawsuit to block the removal was filed:

"We will protect the functional, recreational, and historical value of this site," Gahan said. "Removing this dam can harm the functions that it currently serves, including providing water supply during times of drought and flood protection during periods of heavy rain. It will also hurt the recreation provided by the dam, reducing the number of days suitable for fishing, kayaking, and swimming."

Glaring up at the billboard highlighting recreation at the Silver Creek Dam on Tuesday, Turner's frustration came to a head.

Turner is not alone in that frustration. Those who witnessed tragedy, pulling a teenager's body from the dam's undertow, are hopeful that city leaders will change their perspective.

"It's a shame it took this to wake up New Albany," Acree said, peering at the dam and shaking his head. "After this, I don't think there's a fight left in the city of New Albany for this dam anymore. There can't be."

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