Teacher and 10-Year-Old Student Die During Iowa School Field Trip

Johnson County, Iowa, United States — September 26, 2026

A fifth-grade teacher and one of her students died after they were found in the water during a school field trip at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area in Iowa earlier this week.

Two Members of the Same School Community

The victims were identified as 24-year-old Hannah Jorgensen, a fifth-grade teacher at Borlaug Elementary School, and 10-year-old Ahmed Osman, one of her students.

The incident happened on September 22 at Lake Macbride State Park near the Coralville Reservoir spillway. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said emergency crews were called shortly after noon after receiving a report that people were in the water.

Responders recovered Jorgensen from the reservoir at about 12:43 p.m. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Search Continued Into the Following Day

Authorities continued searching for Ahmed after he remained missing in the water. Search crews worked through Tuesday evening before suspending the operation overnight.

The search resumed Wednesday morning. At approximately 1:24 p.m., first responders recovered Ahmed’s body from the water.

The circumstances that led Jorgensen and Ahmed into the water have not been released. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said the incident remains under investigation.

A Community in Mourning

Jorgensen and Ahmed were both members of the Borlaug Elementary School community. They had been taking part in a fifth-grade School of the Wild field trip, an outdoor education program connected with the University of Iowa.

The Iowa City Community School District said the two were deeply valued members of the school community and expressed condolences to their families, classmates, colleagues and friends.

Following the deaths, the district made counselors and additional support available to students and staff. The School of the Wild program’s upcoming field trips were also suspended.

A Teacher Remembered by Her Students

Jorgensen had been a fifth-grade teacher at Borlaug Elementary. Her death, together with the loss of one of her students, has left the school community grieving.

Ahmed’s father, Mohamed Osman, told The New York Times that his son had many dreams for the future, including becoming a doctor or a soccer player. He said the family had struggled to believe that they had lost him so young.

As investigators work to establish exactly what happened at the reservoir, the school community is focusing on supporting the families and children affected by the tragedy.

Sources

• ABC News — “5th grade teacher, student die during field trip to Iowa nature reserve,” September 24, 2026.
• KCRG — “Missing student’s body recovered from Lake Macbride, victims identified,” September 23, 2026.
• USA Today Network — “Fifth-grader and teacher drown during Iowa field trip,” September 25, 2026.
• Johnson County Sheriff’s Office — Official information on the September 22 Lake Macbride incident.