The remains of the second U.S. Army soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered, the Army confirmed on Wednesday, concluding a multinational search operation that involved air, naval, and artificial intelligence resources.
Identification of the Soldier
The soldier has been identified as Specialist Mariyah Symone Collington, a 19-year-old from Tavares, Florida, according to a statement from U.S. Army Europe and Africa. She served as an air and missile defense crewmember and was assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.
Recovery and Transport
“Royal Moroccan Armed Forces transported the Soldier’s remains by a Moroccan helicopter to the morgue of Moulay El Hassan Military Hospital in Guelmim, Morocco,” the statement said. Collington’s remains, along with those of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., who was recovered earlier, are now en route to the United States.
Background and Service
Collington entered the Regular Army’s Delayed Entry Program in 2023 and began active-duty service in 2024. She completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, before reporting to Ansbach, Germany, in February 2025. She was promoted to specialist on May 1, 2026. Her awards include the Army Service Ribbon.
Incident Details
The two soldiers fell off a cliff during an off-duty recreational hike in Morocco. They were reported missing on May 2 after participating in African Lion, an annual multinational military exercise hosted by Morocco. The circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation, a spokesperson for U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) told The Associated Press.
Search Operation
The search involved more than 1,000 U.S. and Moroccan military and civilian personnel. Assets deployed included a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, thermal and ISR sensors, an unmanned underwater vehicle, side-scan sonar, a Moroccan multibeam echosounder, and U.S. Coast Guard drift modeling capabilities.
African Lion 26
African Lion 26, a U.S.-led exercise launched in April, spans Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal, with over 7,000 personnel from more than 30 nations. Since 2004, it has been the largest U.S. joint military exercise in Africa. In 2012, two U.S. Marines were killed and two others injured during a helicopter crash in Agadir while participating in the exercises.
