Casablanca, Morocco — The remains of a second US Army soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered, the Army said on Wednesday, ending a multinational search operation in which aerial, naval and artificial intelligence assets were deployed.
The trooper was identified as Spc. Maria Simone Collington of Tavares, Florida, U.S. Forces Europe and Africa, said in a statement. She was 19 years old.
“The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces transported the soldier’s remains by Moroccan helicopter to the morgue of the Moulay El Hassan military hospital in Guelmim, Morocco,” the statement said.
Collington served as an air and missile defense team member and was assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
Collington entered the Regular Army’s deferred entry program in 2023 before beginning active-duty service in 2024. He completed Basic Combat Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma as a member of the 14P Air and Missile Defense Group. He reported to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment in Ansbach, Germany, in February 2025 and was promoted to specialist on May 1, 2026.
His awards and decorations include the Army Service Ribbon.
The announcement came days after the Army said the remains of another soldier, 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Jr., a 14A Air Defense Artillery officer, had been recovered. Two soldiers fell off a cliff during an off-duty recreational trip in Morocco. His remains are on their way to the United States.
A spokesman for the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa told The Associated Press that the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation.
The two soldiers were reported missing on May 2 after taking part in African Lion, the annual multinational military exercise held in Morocco. A SETAF-AF spokesman said his disappearance triggered a search operation involving more than 1,000 American and Moroccan military and civilian personnel.
According to the spokesperson, assets deployed during the operation included a US 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 US Coast Guard drift modeling capabilities.
African Lion 26, a US-led exercise that was launched in April in four countries – Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal – involved more than 7,000 personnel from more than 30 countries.
In 2012, two US Marines were killed and two others were injured during a helicopter crash in the southern Moroccan city of Agadir while participating in exercises.
