![\"Searchers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/searchers-looking-for-lily-hooper-gathered-for-a-briefing-BFUSHBNEJREPDBKICUOLTDNO7U.jpg\")
<\/p>\nAn eight-day search for a missing teenager has ended with her family being wrongly informed their daughter was still alive.<\/p>\n
Police said they mistakenly told Lily Hooper’s family she was alive, after the 18-year-old’s body was found in dense bushland in Nattai National Park, in NSW’s Southern Highlands.<\/p>\n
An SES volunteer found her about 11.30am on Thursday, but a communication breakdown led to incorrect reporting to her family, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Joseph Cassar said.<\/p>\n
“[The family] were informed [of] initial information the searchers believed she was alive, and that’s what was communicated,” Cassar told reporters.<\/p>\n
“Within eight-to-10 minutes we were able to give them an update which was a more accurate account.”<\/p>\n
Hooper disappeared on August 12 after going on a hike.<\/p>\n
The teenager from Oakdale, in Sydney’s southwest, did not return that evening and could not be contacted on her mobile phone, triggering a wide-scale search. <\/p>\n
Her car was discovered at the Bonnum Pic trailhead the same night she went missing, but Cassar said the teenager was found a long way from her vehicle.<\/p>\n
“I can’t give you the exact distance but … it wasn’t on a clear walkable track,” the assistant commissioner said.<\/p>\n
“It’s thick, dense bush and a lot of it is steep cliff area.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Searchers looking for Lily Hooper gathered for a briefing. (Source: NSW SES Woolondilly Unit)<\/p>\n
The senior officer apologised to Hooper’s family for the miscommunication and the loss of their beloved daughter.<\/p>\n
“Every one of the investigators and the searchers, whether they were volunteers or paid personnel, hoped for a more positive outcome,” Cassar said.<\/p>\n
“If we were able to provide them more detailed information on that first report, I can tell you that would have been the case.”<\/p>\n
Her parents expressed relief to the media before being told their daughter may not be alive.<\/p>\n
NSW Premier Chris Minns initially told a parliamentary hearing Hooper had been found alive before later interrupting proceedings for a second time to apologise for the error.<\/p>\n
“I’ve got some terrible news \u2026 but it seems as if the early advice was wrong and Lily’s body’s been found and she’s been found deceased,” the visibly distressed premier said. <\/p>\n
The premier later issued a statement apologising to the family.<\/p>\n
“I genuinely believed I was sharing good news,” Minns said.<\/p>\n
“I am profoundly sorry to think anything I said may have added to their heartbreak at an already devastating time.”<\/p>\n
![\"Searchers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/searchers-in-the-rugged-bushland-of-the-nattai-national-park-XGOHCLPZZNBDHOBAQKZK4JW4ZU.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Searchers in the rugged bushland of the Nattai National Park. (Source: NSW SES Woolondilly Unit)<\/p>\n
Cassar said he was not aware who informed the premier of the incorrect details of the discovery.<\/p>\n
Minns earlier told the hearing Hooper had been found alive with half a bottle of water on her and thanked NSW Police, SES, the Australian Defence Force and hundreds of volunteers who helped with the search effort.<\/p>\n
Cassar said he did not know where the detail about the water bottle had come from.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament Hooper had much more to offer the world.<\/p>\n
“Lily Hooper has been taken from her family, her community, and our nation, far too young \u2026 losing a young one is an unspeakable tragedy,” he said.<\/p>\n
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, who is the local member for the Hooper family, said any parent who learned of the teenager’s death would hug their children tighter than usual.<\/p>\n
The House of Representatives had a moment of silence for Hooper before Question Time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An eight-day search for a missing teenager has ended with her family being wrongly informed their daughter was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":574702,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[85,67,42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-574701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-australia","tag-crime-and-justice","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574701","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=574701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/574702"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=574701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=574701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=574701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}