APOPKA, Fla. — A 19-year-old Central Florida soldier who tragically died in a training accident is finally back home.
Army Specialist Mariyah Collington’s remains arrived at Orlando Executive Airport on Thursday. It was an emotional homecoming for her family, who had been waiting for weeks to bring her back to Tavares.
Channel 9 spoke with Mariyah’s cousin, Cherlette McCullough, who shared personal photos of the young soldier. The pictures showed Mariyah’s vibrant personality, from her days as a little girl cheerleader to her sweet 16, prom, and proudly serving in uniform.
McCullough said watching the flag-draped casket come off the plane was incredibly hard.
“It was tough yesterday to see that, to see her come off the plane, to see her body taken inside the funeral home,” McCullough said. “It was a lot yesterday, it was heavy yesterday.”
The family first received the heartbreaking news on May 2. Mariyah was hiking with her unit in Morocco when she fell off a cliff. According to her family, another serviceman jumped in to try and save her, but both lost their lives in the freak accident.
The Army kept the family updated during the nearly two-week search. When they finally got the call that her remains were found, it brought a mix of emotions.
“It was like opening that wound all over again, but a little relief, because we’re able to hear and know that at some point we’ll have her body back to celebrate our life,” McCullough said.
Mariyah was only in the military for a year, but it was her dream to serve. She and her brother, Keyshawn, had a lifelong plan to join the Army together. Keyshawn recently graduated from the University of Florida and left for his own deployment just two weeks before his sister died.
Even with the tragic loss, the family finds comfort in knowing he is continuing their shared dream.
“It’s his desire, and I can totally respect that he’s carrying out what he and his sister are doing in her honor, keeping her legacy alive,” McCullough said.
While the family is still grieving, they are focusing on the joy Mariyah brought to their lives.
“She was like the life of the party,” McCullough said, remembering the skits and pranks Mariyah and her brother used to pull.
The family will hold a celebration of life for Mariyah next Saturday in Tavares.
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