A 19-year-old soldier from Tavares, Florida, has been identified as the second U.S. service member killed after a fall during military exercises in Morocco, bringing a massive international search to a close.
The U.S. Army said Wednesday that the remains of Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington was recovered after she went missing during the African Lion exercises in Morocco. Collington and another soldier were reported missing on May 2 after they fell from a cliff during an off-duty recreational hike near the Cap Draa training area while participating in African Lion 26. The Army said the remains of both soldiers are now en route to the United States.
Details on the Fallen Tavares Soldier
Collington served as an air and missile defense crewmember with Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, which falls under the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command. She entered the Army's Delayed Entry Program in 2023 and went on active duty in 2024, completing Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The Army said she was promoted to specialist on May 1, 2026. Arrangements to repatriate her remains are underway, according to The Associated Press.
Earlier Recovery and Search Timeline
Earlier this week, a Moroccan military search team recovered the remains of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., 27, of Richmond, Virginia, along the shoreline near the Cap Draa Training Area on May 9. Key, a platoon leader assigned to the same Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, had been commissioned in 2024 after completing Officer Candidate School. Plans are also underway to repatriate his remains, and next of kin have been notified, according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
How the Search Effort Unfolded
The disappearance of the two soldiers set off a large, multinational search that pulled together ground, air, and maritime teams, along with more than 1,000 U.S. and Moroccan military and civilian personnel. Search crews brought in a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, thermal and ISR sensors, an unmanned underwater vehicle, and side-scan sonar. Moroccan teams used multibeam echosounders, while the U.S. Coast Guard contributed drift-modeling capabilities.
Royal Moroccan Armed Forces transported Collington’s remains by helicopter to the morgue at Moulay El Hassan Military Hospital in Guelmim before repatriation plans moved forward, as reported by Stars and Stripes.
Ongoing Investigation and Next Steps
African Lion 26, the U.S.-led exercise in which the soldiers were participating, launched in April and stretched across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal, involving thousands of troops from more than 30 nations. U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa said the circumstances surrounding the May 2 incident remain under investigation and that more information will be released as it becomes available.
Military leaders have publicly thanked Moroccan partners for their support during the search publicly and have asked for privacy for the families during the repatriation process, saying officials will provide updates when possible. The broader exercise context was detailed by The Washington Post, while operational and investigative information came from U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
Unit leaders have described the deaths as devastating losses and pledged support for the families and the soldiers who served alongside Collington and Key. Officials said repatriation efforts and notifications are in progress and that they will continue to release information as the investigation moves forward. Community members in Tavares and across units stationed in Europe and Africa have offered condolences to the families and fellow soldiers, as reported by Stars and Stripes.
