Body of second US soldier who went missing in Morocco recovered, military says
The remains of a second U.S. Army soldier who went missing in Morocco during a training exercise earlier this month have been recovered, bringing an end to a multinational search operation that spanned nearly two weeks and involved more than 1,000 personnel from multiple countries.
The U.S. military in Europe and Africa said the body of 19-year-old Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington of Tavares, Florida, was recovered Wednesday after Collington went missing earlier this month. She was assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a statement.
Moroccan military forces transported her remains by helicopter to a military hospital in Guelmim, Morocco.
“The loss of Spc. Collington is a profound loss for the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command,” Brig. Gen. Curtis King, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, said in a statement. “Her recovery closes the search for our two missing Soldiers, but our commitment to caring for their Families, friends, and teammates continues. We are grateful to the U.S. and Moroccan forces for their professionalism and support throughout the search efforts.”
Collington and another soldier disappeared May 2 while off duty near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, Morocco, after participating in African Lion 2026, a large multinational military exercise led by the United States.
Military officials said the pair fell from a cliff during a recreational hike near the Atlantic coast. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.
The recovery comes after Moroccan search teams located 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., a 27-year-old Air Defense Artillery officer assigned to the same battalion.
Key’s body was found in the Atlantic Ocean roughly a mile from where officials believe the two soldiers entered the water. CBS News previously reported that Key may have entered the water in an attempt to rescue Collington after she fell.
The disappearance triggered an extensive multinational search-and-recovery effort involving nearly 1,000 U.S. and Moroccan military and civil personnel. The operation deployed helicopters, naval vessels, and artificial intelligence tools to map currents and search patterns along Morocco’s rugged coastline.
Collington joined the Army through the Delayed Entry Program in 2023 and entered active duty in 2024. She completed training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, as an air and missile defense crewmember and arrived at her Germany-based unit in February 2025. The Army said she was promoted to specialist on May 1, one day before she went missing.
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