A marine who fell out of an aircraft during a training exercise in North Carolina on Monday was found dead on Tuesday, CNN reported.
Steven Hancock, a member of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, was discovered in a state forest. According to investigators, Hancock is believed to have died from the fall.
More than 100 marines participated in the search for the missing soldier.
Officials are still unsure how the marine fell out of the MV-22B Osprey, said 1st Lt. Hector Alejandro, media officer for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing at Cherry Point.
A crew member of the flight noticed Hancock was missing about half a mile past White Lake. According to Alejandro, the marines are also secured by seat belts or tether cables.
However, Lt. Col. Christian Harshberger with Marine Aircraft Group 26 told CNN that the tiltrotor Osprey's cargo bay door remains open during training procedures.
Hancock was a native of Coal City, Illinois and graduated from Coal City High School in 2011, The Morris Daily Herald reported.
Further details on the incident have not been released; check back for updates.
