The family of Lily Hooper have revealed new details about how she died during a solo bushwalk last week.
The 18-year-old from Oakdale, NSW, was found dead in an isolated part of Nattai National Park, more than a week after she failed to return home from the hike.
Her mother, Kirrily Hooper, told The Daily Telegraph an SES volunteer found her laying “peacefully” on August 20.
“Preliminary reports have said Lily had a fall, she had an accident that first afternoon, she died the day she went missing and was found lying peacefully in dense bushland,” Mrs Hooper said.
“It was a surreal time for us as a family, the waiting and not knowing, hoping each day would be the day she came out … then getting really upset every afternoon, getting close to dark, knowing it was going to be another night with her out there in the elements.
“In hindsight we now know she passed quickly and she didn’t suffer in the cold.”
She said the hardest part was not knowing if her daughter was out there scared.
Communication mix-up
Last week it was revealed that an internal investigation will be launched into a miscommunication that led Premier Chris Minns and senior authorities to declare Lily Hooper alive.
NSW Police Force Assistant Commissioner Joseph Cassar confirmed there was an “eight to ten minute” period where Lily’s parents believed their girl was alive after receiving incorrect information.
The focus of the investigation is the breakdown in communications between agencies working in the field. An SES code word – “half a bottle of water” – was misunderstood and then broadcast to the nation by Premier Minns.
SES sources told news.com.au references to water bottles are used as a code to shield anxious family members waiting at search sites.
“It tends to be agreed at a search between cops, who are the lead, and the searches, that terminology is used so as not to distress anyone who might be in ear shot,” a source said.
“It could be a full bottle, meaning someone is alive, or a bottle found in tact, or a half full bottle or an empty bottle meaning someone is deceased.
“We certainly don’t want to be saying things like ‘someone is found deceased’ over the airwaves.”
A “profoundly sorry” Mr Minns said he would personally apologise to her family.
“I’m absolutely devastated and profoundly sorry that anything I said may have added to the grief that family has gone through,” Mr Minns had said.
However, Lily’s father Jim Hooper said the family is not angry.
“I’m not cross, the police threw the kitchen sink at finding Lily,” Mr Hooper told The Daily Telegraph.
Lily’s cause of death is yet to be confirmed.
The teenager’s parents want her death to leave a meaningful legacy, and are urging better education around bush safety and wider use of personal locator and tracking devices for young hikers.
They hope “Lily’s Law” can become a lasting campaign centred on helping others better prepare before going into the bush.