Hannah Jorgensen and Ahmed Osman Dead After Tragic Coralville Reservoir Field Trip Incident
The Borlaug Elementary School community in Coralville, Iowa, is mourning the tragic deaths of fifth-grade teacher Hannah Jorgensen and 10-year-old student Ahmed Osman following a water emergency during a school field trip at the MacBride Nature Recreation Area.
Jorgensen, 24, of Tiffin, Iowa, and Osman, 10, of Iowa City, were identified by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office after their bodies were recovered from the Coralville Reservoir. Their deaths have brought profound grief to their families, classmates, teachers and the wider Iowa City Community School District.
The tragedy occurred Tuesday, September 22, 2026, while Borlaug Elementary fifth graders were taking part in a School of the Wild field trip at the MacBride Nature Recreation Area.
According to the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, deputies and emergency responders were called at approximately 12:10 p.m. after receiving a report of people in the water near the Coralville Reservoir spillway. Jorgensen was recovered at about 12:43 p.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Search crews continued looking for Osman after he remained missing in the reservoir. The search was suspended overnight Tuesday before resuming Wednesday. At approximately 1:24 p.m. Wednesday, responders recovered Osman’s body from the water.
Authorities have not publicly released details explaining how or why the two entered the water. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.
Jorgensen was a fifth-grade teacher at Borlaug Elementary and had been an important part of the school community. At only 24 years old, her life and teaching career were cut short during an educational outing with students.
Osman was a fifth-grade student at Borlaug Elementary. His death has left his family, friends, classmates and teachers facing the devastating loss of a child whose life ended during what was intended to be a day of outdoor learning and exploration.
The Iowa City Community School District expressed condolences to the families, classmates, colleagues and friends of both Jorgensen and Osman. Counselors and additional support personnel have been made available at Borlaug Elementary to help students and staff cope with the tragedy.
School of the Wild field trips have also been canceled for the foreseeable future while the investigation continues.
The deaths of Hannah Jorgensen and Ahmed Osman have left the Borlaug Elementary community grieving two lives lost far too soon. Their families, classmates, educators and friends now face the difficult days ahead while remembering the teacher and student whose lives touched their community.
