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'He wanted to save the boy,' says grandmother of teen missing in Oconee County creek

One of the teens apparently fell from the dam below the old Puritan rope mill and the second teen attempted to rescue him.

OCONEE COUNTY, Ga. -- Rescue efforts continue for two teens missing in a creek on Oconee County.

Janet Bagwell is one of the grandmother of one of the 18-year-old boys. She spoke with 11Alive Saturday saying the families are in a lot of pain, hoping to find them.

Cameron's parents released a handwritten statement about their son and the rescue efforts.

"The parents of Cameron Smith want to say thank you for the outpour of support from everyone," the letter reads.

Cameron's parents said he did not know the other teen, who they name in the letter as Bryant, who went underwater.

"He was told someone is drowning and without hesitation, he instructed his friend to call 911 and stay safely on solid ground as he jumped in to try to save Bryant. Cameron is truly a hero."

"He's a very loving person," Bagwell said. "He wanted to save the boy."

The sheriff's office posted a video Saturday morning of the dam near the site where crews will have to search for the 18-year-old boys. Friday, authorities said the teens were thought to be "under the water" at The Falls of Oconee near Barber Creek. The incident began around 3:45 p.m.

RELATED: Two teens presumed missing after falling into Oconee County creek

The new video shows that the water has dropped some overnight.

Authorities said multiple witnesses tried to help but the attempts were unsuccessful. Even when they arrived at the scene, a security guard was still in the water.

"We had to go to rescue her to get her out of the water," Sheriff Scott Berry said.

Credit: Brock, Savannah

Barber Creek is the boundary line between Clarke and Oconee Counties. The "beachside" is located in Oconee County. The area near the dam and surrounding beach attract many young people during the summer months even though it is a fenced off area, officials said.

In the nearly 27 years that Berry has been sheriff, he said a few others drowned at this location. He said the dam is likely the place to look for the missing teens.

"Hopefully the bodies are near the dam, that's traditionally where we find them when other people have drowned here before."

If they are not there, the sheriff says they will have to search the entire creek all the way down to the river. Sheriff Berry said the creek has dropped about 4 feet since last night.

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