Ahmed Osman, a 10-year-old Borlaug Elementary School student from Iowa City, fell into the Coralville Lake Reservoir during a field trip, and his teacher, Hannah Jorgensen, 24, jumped in after him in a bid to save him, the boy’s father, Mohamed Osman, told the New York Times in an account reported Sept. 25, 2026.
The outing was a five-day School of the Wild trip, and Ahmed and his classmates were on the fifth day of a week at the MacBride Nature Recreation Area, not a single-day field trip. The park is leased to the University of Iowa by the Army Corps of Engineers.
What the Sheriff’s Office Reported
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and assisting first responders recovered the body of Ahmed Osman from the Coralville Reservoir near Iowa City at 1:24 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 23, one day after crews recovered a fifth-grade teacher from his school from the same water. The sheriff’s office announced finding Osman in an update on Sept. 23 and identified the teacher recovered the day before in that same update as Jorgensen, of Tiffin. Jorgensen is listed as a fifth-grade teacher on the Borlaug Elementary website.
Both were reported in the water during a Borlaug Elementary School field trip on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The sheriff’s office received a report of people in the water at 12:10 p.m. Sept. 22. At 12:43 p.m. Sept. 22, responders recovered one adult victim from the Coralville Reservoir, who was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the sheriff’s office.
After the adult was recovered Sept. 22, a child was still missing. Crews worked the water through the evening of Sept. 22, suspended the search overnight and resumed the next morning. More than a dozen agencies took part in the search, including dive teams, fire departments and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
How the teacher and student came to be in the water remains under investigation. As of Sept. 25, it was still not clear when Ahmed Osman went into the water. The sheriff’s office said the incident “remains under investigation by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and there is no further information available for release.” On Sept. 25, the sheriff’s office said it had no new details to release and was continuing to interview people and gather information.
The Johnson County Medical Examiner will perform autopsies to determine the cause and manner of death for both.
A Week in the Outdoors
The Iowa City Community School District said Jorgensen and Osman had traveled with Borlaug fifth graders to Lake MacBride State Park, near the Coralville Reservoir spillway, for a School of the Wild field trip at the MacBride Nature Recreation Area. School of the Wild is a University of Iowa program that has taken area students outdoors since 1991. The trip was his class’ week at School of the Wild.
The district has canceled School of the Wild field trips for the foreseeable future. It called the deaths a “tragic accident.”
Vigil and Community Response
The district said in a statement on Sept. 23: “Hannah and Ahmed were deeply valued members of our school district community, and their loss is being felt throughout Borlaug and across our district.” The district added in the statement that its thoughts were with the families and loved ones of both, with Jorgensen’s colleagues and students, with Osman’s classmates and friends, and with everyone who knew them.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement posted on Facebook: “This unimaginable loss touches the entire Borlaug Elementary community and Iowa City School District.” She told the school community that Iowans across the state were standing with them in the days ahead.
A vigil for Ahmed Osman was held on Friday, Sept. 25, and his father received condolences from community members. “We didn’t believe he would leave us this soon,” Mohamed Osman told the New York Times, adding that his son had “a lot of dreams,” which included being a doctor or soccer player. Ahmed’s family immigrated from Sudan in 2011. He loved soccer and was a math whiz who excelled compared to his peers.
Jorgensen was a 24-year-old teacher near the start of her career. She previously worked at Garner Elementary as a paraeducator and completed her student teaching there. Jorgensen and Osman were both part of Borlaug’s fifth-grade community.
