Missing Marine Declared Dead After Disappearance Off SoCal Coast

A Marine from Minnesota who disappeared last week off the coast of Southern California has been declared dead, according to authorities.

The search for 21-year-old Lance Cpl. Armando Ortiz Canseco began shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday, and he was declared dead Saturday, authorities said. The Marine had been serving aboard the San Diego-based transport dock ship USS Anchorage.

The search transitioned from a rescue mission to a recovery operation Friday night after crews examined about 2,400 square miles over 43 hours using three ships and 12 aircraft. The U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Air Force were all involved in the search.

“On behalf of the Marines and Sailors of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, I extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Lance Cpl. Ortiz Canseco,” Col. Richard Alvarez, commanding officer of the unit, said in a news release.

“He earned the title of United States Marine and served his country with honor and commitment. We mourn alongside his family, and we remain committed to bringing him home.”

Ortiz Canseco was from Richfield, Minnesota, and graduated from Richfield High School, according to KMSP. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2023 and was awarded the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon.

"As a family we feel devastated and heartbroken,” Ortiz Canseco’s family told KMSP in a statement. “We have faith and hope that Armando will be back home with us as he told us. We are waiting for him to come back home.”

The circumstances surrounding Ortiz Canseco’s disappearance are under investigation, according to a Marine Corps news release.