Neither the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office nor the Iowa City Community School District had said as of Sept. 28, 2026, what led to the deaths of a Borlaug Elementary School teacher and a fifth-grade student pulled from the Coralville Reservoir last week. The Press-Citizen and the Des Moines Register describe both deaths as drownings. No autopsy results have been released.

The sheriff’s office announced in an update on Sept. 23 that searchers had recovered the body of Ahmed Osman, 10, of Iowa City, from the reservoir near Iowa City on Wednesday, Sept. 23. The recovery came a day after crews recovered a fifth-grade teacher from his school from the same water. The sheriff’s office identified her as Hannah Jorgensen, 24, of Tiffin. Both were reported in the water during a Borlaug Elementary School field trip on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The school district called the deaths a “tragic accident.”

Search Lasted Into Second Day

A report of people in the water reached the sheriff’s office at 12:10 p.m. on Sept. 22. Responders recovered one adult victim from the Coralville Reservoir at 12:43 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. The office identified her as Jorgensen in an update issued the following day, Sept. 23. The Borlaug Elementary website listed Jorgensen as a fifth-grade teacher.

A child was still missing after the adult was recovered. Crews stayed on the water through the evening of Sept. 22. They then suspended the search overnight and resumed it the next morning. More than a dozen agencies took part, including dive teams, fire departments and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The sheriff’s office and assisting first responders recovered Osman at 1:24 p.m. on Sept. 23.

Investigators are still working to determine how the teacher and student came to be in the water, which remains under investigation. Autopsies to determine the cause and manner of death for both will be performed by the Johnson County Medical Examiner.

Father Describes Son’s Fall

Mohamed Osman, the father of Ahmed Osman, told the New York Times that his son fell into the Coralville Lake Reservoir and that Jorgensen jumped in after him in a vain attempt to save him. He also told the newspaper that the class was on a five-day trip at the MacBride Nature Recreation Area.

“We didn’t believe he would leave us this soon,” Mohamed Osman told the Times, adding that his son had “a lot of dreams,” including becoming a doctor or soccer player.

The Iowa City Community School District said a School of the Wild field trip at the MacBride Nature Recreation Area had brought Jorgensen and Osman to Lake MacBride State Park, near the Coralville Reservoir spillway, alongside Borlaug fifth graders. The trip was meant to take a class of fifth graders outdoors for the day. The University of Iowa has run School of the Wild since 1991, taking area students outdoors. The university has suspended the programming, which runs through its College of Education, as of Sept. 26.

Flags Lowered Across Iowa

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered flags at the Iowa State Capitol, the Capitol complex and all public buildings statewide flown at half-staff from Saturday, Sept. 26 through Monday, Sept. 28, until sunset, in remembrance of Jorgensen and Osman. Johnson County lowered flags at county buildings on Friday, Sept. 25 in honor of Osman and on Monday, Sept. 28 in honor of Jorgensen.

“This unimaginable loss touches the entire Borlaug Elementary community and Iowa City School District,” Reynolds said in a statement posted on Facebook. 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. Borlaug Elementary hung a “Forever in our hearts” banner outside the building and placed a painted rock at its flagpole. Jorgensen, a 24-year-old teacher near the start of her career, and Osman, a fifth grader, both belonged to the school’s fifth-grade community, and their loss has reverberated through Borlaug.

“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 said in a statement on Sept. 23. Both families and loved ones were in the district’s thoughts, it said, as were Jorgensen’s colleagues and students, Osman’s classmates and friends, and anyone else who had known the two. It said counselors and additional support staff will continue to be available at Borlaug for students and staff.

Tributes for the Teacher

“During this incredibly heartbreaking and devastating time, we have been reminded of just how much love surrounds Borlaug and our community,” Borlaug Elementary said in a Facebook post on Friday, Sept. 25.

“Hannah’s calm presence, willingness to go above and beyond, and love for all students made Hannah an amazing person and educator,” Garner Elementary said in a Sept. 24 post.

Jorgensen graduated from the Solon Community School District in 2020 and earned a bachelor’s in elementary education from Western Governors University while working at a local daycare, according to her obituary. She also substituted at Wickham Elementary before joining Borlaug in 2025-26.