The desperate family of a US Marine who went missing from the USS Anchorage off the coast of Southern California gathered in Minnesota for an emotional vigil Sunday night.
The loved ones of 21-year-old Lance Corporal Armando Ortiz Canseco, a Minnesota native, prayed with candles at the Oak Grove Lutheran Church in Richfield.
In a Facebook post, the church said that the family wants Armando home as they demand information.
“The Marines say Lance Corporal Armando Ortiz Canseco, a Richfield son, is lost at sea but they are giving few details,” the post read. The family is looking for answers surround Ortiz Canseco’s disappearance.
Ortiz Canseco was assigned to the USS Anchorage during training with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, according to CBS8.
The US Navy launched search and recovery operations after Ortiz Canseco was reported missing shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday.
The US Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Air Force searched for him for over 43 hours, covering approximately 2,400 square miles using three surface ships and 12 aircraft.
Despite these extensive measures, no traces were found and the missing Marine was officially declared dead on Saturday, transitioning the operations to search and recovery.
Ortiz Canseco is the recipient of Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and the Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, reported USNI News.
Three years ago in June 2023, he earned the title of US Marine with Platoon 3210, India Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion.
“The amphibious Navy exists to fight alongside the Marine Corps, and a loss to the Marine Corps family is a loss to our own.
“We are a resilient force, and we continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in support of Lance Cpl. Ortiz Canseco’s loved ones and our ongoing recovery operations,” Capt. Gary A. Harrington, commodore of Amphibious Squadron 7, said in a statement.
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