Body of US Soldier Missing in Morocco Has Been Found

UPDATE May 10, 2026 2:20 PM CDT

The Army announced on Sunday that the body of an American soldier who went missing while in Morocco during a training exercise has been recovered. 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., 27, disappeared May 2 off Morocco's southern coast along with another service member. The search for the second soldier, who has not been identified, is continuing, CBS News reports. Key's remains were found in waters about a mile from where they were last seen, the Army said. Key, who was from Richmond, Virginia, was an air defense artillery officer with the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.

May 5, 2026 8:45 AM CDT

As the search continues for two missing US service members off the coast of Morocco, new details are emerging about what happened. It now appears that one soldier fell into the water while on a hike, and the second disappeared trying to pull him out, reports CBS News. Defense officials say a group of US Army soldiers, in the country for the African Lion training exercise, had hiked to watch the sunset near cliffs by the Cap Draa Training Area over the weekend when one service member fell into the water.

Troops tried to reach him by linking belts to form a chain but couldn't. A second soldier then jumped in to save the first, who was known to not be a swimmer, and was immediately struck by a wave; both struggled to get back to shore. A third soldier entered the water and returned safely but couldn't reach the others. The search, ongoing as of Tuesday morning, now includes US aircraft, drones, divers, sea vessels, and a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol plane flying in from Italy. Moroccan forces are deploying scuba teams to check coastal caves.

The incident isn't believed to be directly tied to African Lion, which has brought upward of 7,000 troops from more than 30 nations to Morocco. The AP notes that the annual joint military exercises there have been running since 2004. Drones designed by 1st Lt. Vincent Gasparri—who'd spoken hours earlier about the technology that saves lives—are being used to hunt for the missing soldiers, per CBS. Meanwhile, a US official tells Stars and Stripes that the military is keeping the missing soldiers' branch and unit out of the exercises while the search continues.