Both found. Both gone. Morocco honored them before sending them home — a farewell ceremony at Guelmim military airport The search is over. Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces, in joint coordination with U.S. Armed Forces, recovered the remains of the second missing U.S. soldier on Wednesday — Specialist Mariyah Collington — bringing to a close an eleven-day operation that mobilized hundreds of military personnel, ships, helicopters, and drones along Morocco’s southern Atlantic coast. Her remains were located at 4:40 p.m. and recovered at 6:07 p.m., approximately 500 meters from the site of the incident, by elements of the Royal Armed Forces, Civil Protection, and U.S. Armed Forces.
AFRICOM confirmed the recovery in a statement: “U.S. Africa Command confirms the recovery of our second Soldier, Spc. Mariyah Collington. We mourn her loss and stand with her family and the 10th AAMDC community in this moment of grief”.
U.S. Africa Command confirms the recovery of our second Soldier, Spc. Mariyah Collington. We mourn her loss and stand with her family and the 10th AAMDC community in this moment of grief.
— U.S. Africa Command · @USAfricaCommand, May 13, 2026
Collington’s remains were transferred to the morgue of the Moulay Hassan Military Hospital in Guelmim, in accordance with standard procedures. A farewell ceremony was held at the military airport in Guelmim in honor of both fallen soldiers, before they were repatriated together on a U.S. military aircraft the night of May 12, 2026.
How it ended — and how it began
Both soldiers had fallen from a cliff near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan Tan on the night of May 2, during an off-duty recreational hike to watch the sunset. They were among more than 7,000 service members from over 30 countries participating in African Lion 26. The disappearance triggered one of the most extensive joint search operations seen in the region — involving more than 600 personnel from the United States, Morocco, and partner nations. The remains of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., 27, were recovered first, on May 9, by a Moroccan military search team along the Atlantic shoreline within roughly one mile of where both soldiers entered the ocean.
- Sources: Royal Armed Forces Supreme Command communiqué via MAP, May 13, 2026; AFRICOM official statement @USAfricaCommand, May 13, 2026. Background: MoroccoTelegraph reporting, May 2–10, 2026.