U.S. Army Recovers Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington’s Remains in Morocco

The U.S. Army said Wednesday that the remains of the second U.S. soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered, ending a multinational search operation that deployed air, naval and artificial intelligence assets.

“The remains of Specialist Mariyah Symone Collington, a 19-year-old U”

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The soldier was identified as Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington of Taveres, Fla., and she was 19 years old, according to the U.S. military Europe and Africa statement.

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The statement said, “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,” and the Army said Collington served as an air and missile defense crewmember assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.

The announcement came days after the military said the remains of another soldier, 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., had been recovered, and both soldiers fell off a cliff during an off-duty recreational hike in Morocco while participating in African Lion, an annual multinational military exercise held in Morocco.

CBS News reported that U.S. Africa Command confirmed the recovery of Collington in a joint statement with U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, saying, “U.S. Africa Command confirms the recovery of our second Soldier, Spc. Mariyah Collington.”

CBS News said Collington, 19, and 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., 27, disappeared May 2 in waters off Morocco’s southern coast near the Cap Draa Training Area, and Key’s body was recovered May 9.

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The Army said Collington’s body was recovered Tuesday in a coastal cave about 500 meters from where the two went into the water, and it said “Challenging ocean conditions, coastal terrain and the cave's accessibility complicated search and recovery operations throughout the effort,” according to a news release.

CBS News also quoted Brig. Gen. Curtis King, commanding general of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, saying, “The loss of Spc. Collington is a profound loss for the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command,” and it reported that the search covered over 8,200 square miles using drones, helicopters, fixed-wing planes, boats, dive teams, mountaineering teams and ground search elements.

The U.S. Army said the bodies of both missing soldiers were being taken back to the U.S. by the Air Force, and a spokesperson for U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa told The Associated Press that “the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.”

“Remains of 2nd US soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — The remains of the second U”

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AP News reported that the two soldiers were reported missing May 2 after participating in African Lion, and it said the disappearance triggered a search operation involving more than 1,000 U.S. and Moroccan military and civilian personnel.

The U.S. military said assets deployed during the operation 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, according to the SETAF-AF spokesperson.

In a separate statement carried by CBS News, AFRICOM and SETAF-AF said, “The search that brought her home was a testament to what combined operations look like at their best,” and it described Royal Moroccan Armed Forces contributions of ground, air, and maritime assets from the first moment to the last.