The Mount Vernon Fire Department and Johnson County Sheriff’s office search the water near the Lake Macbride spillway in Solon Tuesday.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette
SOLON — The body of 10-year-old Ahmed Osman was recovered from Coralville Reservoir Wednesday following a more than 24-hour search after he went into the water during his class’ week at School of the Wild — a popular University of Iowa program aimed at connecting kids with nature.
The body of Hannah Jorgensen, 24, a fifth-grade teacher at Borlaug Elementary School in Coralville, was recovered Tuesday by first responders. She died at the scene in the Macbride Nature Recreation Area.
Ahmed’s body was recovered at 1:24 p.m. Wednesday by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and assisting first responders.
Jorgensen and Ahmed, a student at Borlaug, were “deeply valued” in the Iowa City school district community.
“Their loss is being felt throughout Borlaug and across our district,” according to a news release from the Iowa City 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.”
Hannah Jorgensen, Borlaug Elementary fifth grade teacher
Counselors and additional support staff will continue to be available at Borlaug Elementary to support students and staff.
“We want to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the incredible outpouring of support we have received,” Borlaug posted on its official Facebook page Wednesday. “Our building is hurting right now, and so are our hearts. But knowing that you are all here for us, standing beside us, checking in, and, lifting us up. It means more than we can put into words.
“We are so grateful for our community and for each and every one of you.”
On Tuesday, the sheriff’s office reported receiving the first call about “subjects in the water at Lake Macbride State Park near the Coralville Reservoir spillway” at 12:10 p.m.
At 12:43 p.m., responders recovered Jorgensen in the Coralville Reservoir. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Although responders spent the rest of the afternoon into the evening searching for the child in the water, they had to suspend efforts overnight before resuming early Wednesday.
Agencies assisting in the search included the Johnson County Metro Dive Team, Johnson County Emergency Management, Swisher Fire Department, Lisbon Fire Department, Mount Vernon Fire Department, Johnson County Ambulance Service, University of Iowa Police Department, North Liberty Fire Department, North Liberty Police Department, Solon Fire Department, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa State Patrol, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, UI Air Care, UI Med One, the Johnson County Medical Examiner and the Story County Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement Wednesday, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation is continuing.
The Iowa City Community School District late Tuesday shared with families and staff news “that a tragic accident occurred today during a Borlaug Elementary fifth-grade School of the Wild field trip at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area.”
“School will be held at Borlaug Elementary tomorrow, with flexibility throughout the school day to respond to the needs of students and staff. Counselors and additional support personnel will be available at Borlaug to provide support in the days ahead,” the district shared. “All School of the Wild field trips are canceled for the foreseeable future.”
The UI School of the Wild program — which, since 1991, has worked with dozens of school districts across the state, annually reaching more than 6,000 students — aims to connect “children and youth to the wild,” according to the university.
The weeklong day camps offer hands-on experiences in the woodlands, wetlands and prairies at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area — which the university is returning to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after recently sharing plans to exit its no-cost 66-year lease for the land.
In ending its lease for the 485-acre property due to the rising cost of upkeep, the university promised School of the Wild and its Wildlife Camps will continue — just at another location.
Emergency management employees talk with each other near the Lake Macbride spillway in Solon Tuesday during the search for the missing student.
Savannah Blake/The Gazette