What Happened To Lily Hooper? Everything We Know About The Tragic Search For The Teen

Eight days ago, 18-year-old Lily Hooper was reported missing after telling her family she was going hiking at Nattai National Park. The experienced hiker left her Oakdale home in Sydney’s south-west at approximately 8am, intending to spend the day walking in the national park.

When she failed to return home by about 10pm, her family raised the alarm. Her disappearance prompted a major search operation involving hundreds of personnel, including 100 Australian Defence Force officers, PolAir, the dog unit, Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW, National Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW Ambulance, the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter and 240 NSW SES volunteers.

Search crews spent eight days scouring the challenging terrain, with the walking trail reportedly following a sandstone ridgeline through dense shrubbery. The track has been described as challenging and strenuous and is recommended for experienced hikers.

Detective Inspector Benjamin Carey said Lily was familiar with difficult bushwalks. “She does regularly engage in bushwalks, some quite challenging and it is one of her favourite recreational pastimes,” he said.

But today, the search ended in tragedy, with the body of a woman believed to be Lily Hooper found in bushland in the NSW Southern Highlands. NSW Police confirmed the body was discovered by an SES searcher in “thick dense terrain” at about 11:30am.

While formal identification is yet to take place, police believe it is sadly that of the 18-year-old.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Joseph Cassar said there was sadly an “eight- to 10-minute” period when the family believed Lily had been found alive.

“Unfortunately, it did take that small period of time for us to give them an update,” he said. NSW Premier Chris Minns was incorrectly advised that Ms Hooper had been found alive before receiving confirmation that a body had been located.

He initially told a televised parliamentary hearing: “Lily Hooper has been found alive. Found in the bush with half a bottle of water with her.”

Mr Minns later retracted the statement following the miscommunication. “I’ve got some terrible news,” he said.

“I apologise to the committee, but it seems as if the early advice was wrong.” In a later statement, Mr Minns said he “genuinely believed” he was “sharing good news” and apologised for potentially adding to the family’s heartbreak.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led a moment of silence in federal parliament, with Mr Albanese describing Lily Hooper’s death as “an unspeakable tragedy”. Lily’s parents, Jim and Kirrily, had been stationed at the search command point since she went missing.