US Army Recovers Body of Second Soldier Missing After Morocco Training Exercise

The U.S. Army has recovered the remains of the second soldier who went missing during a joint training exercise in southern Morocco last month. Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington, 19, of Tavares, Florida, was found May 12 inside a coastal cave roughly 500 meters from where she and 1st Lt.

Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. entered the ocean near the Cap Draa Training Area. U.S. Air Force pararescuemen, Moroccan military mountaineers and civil protection personnel recovered her body after navigating rough waters and difficult terrain that complicated access to the site.

The recovery on May 12 came three days after Key's body was located in the water about one mile from the entry point. Both soldiers had been participating in African Lion 26, U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise involving more than 40 countries across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia.

More than 1,000 U.S. and Moroccan military and civilian personnel searched more than 21,300 square kilometers of sea and coastal areas beginning May 2. Searchers deployed unmanned aerial systems, rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft, surface vessels, dive teams, mountaineering teams and ground elements.

Teams repositioned daily based on real-time drift analysis, weather predictions and platform capabilities to focus on the highest-probability zones. Officials said challenging ocean conditions, coastal terrain and the cave’s limited accessibility slowed recovery efforts throughout the 11-day operation.

The incident occurred after training had concluded for the day when one soldier fell into the water during a hike along oceanside cliffs. The second soldier entered the water in an attempt to assist, after which initial rescue efforts were unsuccessful.

Collington had been promoted to specialist one day before the incident. She began active-duty service in 2024 after entering the Regular Army’s Delayed Entry Program in 2023, completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training in Oklahoma, and reported to her unit in Germany in February 2025.

Both soldiers were assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, within the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. Collington served as an air and missile defense crewmember. The Army said the loss represents a profound tragedy for the unit while praising the Moroccan government, sister services and allies for their tireless assistance during the search.

“The loss of Spc. Collington is a profound loss for the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.”

The incident remains under investigation. Plans are underway to repatriate both soldiers’ remains to the United States.

26 involved coordinated training across multiple nations this year. The exercise took place in four countries and focused on strengthening military partnerships in the region. Search and recovery operations concluded with the retrieval from the cave, bringing an end to active efforts to locate the missing soldiers while underscoring the hazards of coastal training environments even after scheduled activities end.