CORALVILLE, Iowa — A fifth-grade teacher and one of her students were found dead in an Iowa reservoir this week after both went missing during a school field trip to a nature recreation area, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the Iowa City Community School District confirmed Wednesday.
Hannah Jorgensen, 24, of Tiffin, and Ahmed Osman, 10, of Iowa City — both members of the Borlaug Elementary School community in Coralville — were recovered from the Coralville Reservoir after failing to return from a School of the Wild outing at the MacBride Nature Recreation Area on Tuesday, Sept. 23. The circumstances surrounding their deaths remain under active investigation. The tragedy has shaken the school district, prompted the cancellation of all upcoming School of the Wild field trips, and drawn condolences from Iowa’s governor. Authorities have not yet publicly explained what led the two into the water, and no timeline has been given for when investigators expect to release findings.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office received a call shortly before noon Tuesday reporting two individuals in the water near the Coralville Reservoir spillway, located approximately eight and a half miles north of Iowa City. First responders arrived and recovered an adult from the reservoir at 12:43 p.m. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. A search for the missing child then began, with crews working through the afternoon and into the evening before suspending operations overnight. The search resumed Wednesday morning, and at 1:24 p.m., first responders pulled the juvenile from the water. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office subsequently identified both victims as Jorgensen and Osman. Jorgensen’s mother, Amanda, briefly spoke to reporters in the aftermath of the news. “This is a really difficult time for us right now,” she said, her voice audibly strained. Multiple agencies assisted in the search and recovery operation, including the Johnson County Metro Dive Team, local fire departments, emergency management officials, University of Iowa police, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa State Patrol, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The field trip was part of the School of the Wild program, an outdoor education initiative run by the University of Iowa that provides K-12 students with hands-on learning experiences in natural environments, including at the MacBride Nature Recreation Area near Solon, Iowa. The program is specifically designed, according to the school district, to “increase outdoor learning experiences for elementary and middle school students across Iowa.” It was a scheduled class outing for Jorgensen’s fifth-grade class. Investigators have not confirmed how many other students or chaperones were present during the trip, nor have they disclosed what specific activity the group was engaged in when the incident occurred. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation and that no further details about what led to the two deaths have been released. The school district announced it has canceled all School of the Wild field trips for the foreseeable future while authorities work to piece together a full account of what happened.
Borlaug Elementary School is part of the Iowa City Community School District, one of the larger public school systems in eastern Iowa. MacBride Nature Recreation Area, where the incident took place, sits along the Coralville Reservoir in Johnson County and is a commonly used outdoor education site for schools in the region. The University of Iowa’s School of the Wild and Wildlife Camps programming operates at the preserve for students across grade levels. The Coralville Reservoir itself is a large flood-control reservoir managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with a spillway that has historically presented hazards during high-water conditions. Investigators have not yet indicated whether water levels or conditions at the spillway played any role in Tuesday’s incident. The involvement of the Army Corps of Engineers in the search and recovery effort was noted by the Sheriff’s Office in its public updates, though no agency has commented on the state of the reservoir at the time of the incident.
As of Thursday, no charges have been filed in connection with the deaths, and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office has not classified the incident as criminal. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities have not provided a timeline for when findings will be released or whether additional interviews, forensic analysis, or review of the field trip’s safety protocols are planned. The school district has not publicly addressed questions about supervision ratios during the outing, waivers, or prior safety reviews of the MacBride site. It is not known at this time whether state education officials or the University of Iowa — which operates the School of the Wild program — have launched their own internal reviews. The district said counselors and additional support personnel have been made available at Borlaug Elementary to help students and staff in the aftermath. No court proceedings are scheduled or anticipated at this stage of the investigation.
The Iowa City Community School District issued a formal statement Thursday expressing grief over the loss of both Jorgensen and Osman. “Our hearts are shattered by the loss of two beloved members of our Borlaug Elementary family — fifth-grade teacher Hannah Jorgensen and fifth-grade student Ahmed Osman,” the district said. “There are simply no words that can adequately express the depth of this loss. Hannah and Ahmed were so much more than members of our school community. They were a teacher and student, a colleague and classmate, a friend, and most importantly, deeply loved members of their families.” In an earlier statement released Wednesday, the district added: “Hannah and Ahmed were deeply valued members of our school district community, and their loss is being felt throughout Borlaug and across our district. Our hearts are with their families and loved ones, as well as Hannah’s colleagues and students, Ahmed’s classmates and friends, and everyone who knew and cared for them.” Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds also offered public condolences in a statement posted on social media. “This unimaginable loss touches the entire Borlaug Elementary community and Iowa City School District,” Reynolds said. “Please know that Iowans across our state are standing with you in the difficult days ahead.” Borlaug Elementary separately acknowledged an “incredible outpouring of support” from the broader community.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is leading the investigation into the deaths of Jorgensen and Osman, with no additional public updates scheduled as of Thursday. The Iowa City Community School District said it will continue to provide counseling resources at Borlaug Elementary while cooperating with investigators, and the School of the Wild field trip program will remain suspended until further notice.
