Taylor Kayjean Machado was 21 when she disappeared from the USS Carter Hall during routine training about 60 nautical miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. She was discovered missing from the dock landing ship at about 4:20 p.m. on April 9, 2016, while serving as a Petty Officer 3rd Class and a gunner’s mate.

The Navy and U.S. Coast Guard conducted a 72-hour search that covered nearly 22,388 square nautical miles using eight ships and several aircraft, but no trace of Machado was found. Water temperatures during the search were in the low sixties to low seventies. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service led the investigation, and officials eventually suspended search operations. She is presumed lost at sea, and the circumstances of her disappearance have not been fully explained.

If anyone served with Taylor or was aboard the Carter Hall that day and has information that could clarify what happened, please come forward.