The U.S. Army confirmed Wednesday that the remains of the second American soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered, bringing closure to a massive multinational search operation that deployed sophisticated air, naval, and artificial intelligence resources.
The soldier was identified as Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington of Tavares, Florida, according to a statement from U.S. military Europe and Africa. She was 19 years old.
Royal Moroccan Armed Forces transported Collington's remains by Moroccan helicopter to the morgue of Moulay El Hassan Military Hospital in Guelmim, Morocco. The remains are currently en route to the United States.
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. Her military career, though brief, demonstrated dedication to service and rapid professional advancement.
She entered the Regular Army's Delayed Entry Program in 2023 before beginning active-duty service in 2024. After completing Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill in Oklahoma as a 14P air and missile defense crewmember, she reported to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, in Ansbach, Germany, in February 2025. She was promoted to specialist on May 1, 2026, just days before the tragic incident.
Her awards and decorations include the Army Service Ribbon.
Circumstances of the Incident
The announcement came days after the military confirmed that the remains of another soldier, 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., a 14A Air Defense Artillery officer, had been recovered. According to military officials, the two soldiers fell off a cliff during an off-duty recreational hike in Morocco.
A spokesperson for U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa told The Associated Press that the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.
The two soldiers were reported missing May 2 after participating in African Lion, an annual multinational military exercise held in Morocco. Their disappearance immediately triggered an extensive search operation that mobilized more than 1,000 U.S. and Moroccan military and civilian personnel.
Massive Search Operation
The search effort represented a significant deployment of advanced military technology and international cooperation. 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.
The scale and sophistication of the search operation underscored the military's commitment to recovering its personnel and the strong partnership between U.S. and Moroccan forces.
African Lion Exercise
African Lion 26 is a U.S.-led exercise launched in April across four countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal. The exercise involves more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations, making it one of the largest military training operations on the African continent.
The annual exercise is designed to strengthen military partnerships, enhance readiness, and improve interoperability among participating nations. However, this year's iteration has been marked by tragedy.
This is not the first fatal incident associated with the African Lion exercises. In 2012, two U.S. Marines were killed and two others injured during a helicopter crash in Morocco's southern city of Agadir while taking part in the exercises.
The recovery of both soldiers' remains brings a measure of closure to their families and fellow service members, though the investigation into the circumstances of their deaths continues. The military has not released additional details about the specific location of the cliff or the conditions that led to the fatal fall.
