Missing Teen Hiker Found Dead in Australian Bush After Eight-Day Search
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Missing teen hiker found dead in Australian bush after eight-day search
Image source: NSW Police
Image caption: Lily Hooper, 18, was found dead after an eight-day search in the Australian bush.
By Tabby Wilson
Published 20 August 2026, 04:16 BST
Updated 7 hours ago
The body of a woman has been found in Australian bushland, following an eight-day search for a Sydney teenager reported missing last Wednesday.
Police said that while the body was yet to be formally identified, it was believed to be that of Lily Hooper, 18. The confirmation came after the New South Wales premier made a corrected statement, retracting her earlier claim that Lily had been found alive.
The teenager left her home in Sydney to go walking in a nearby national park on August 12th. Her family reported her missing later that night, after she failed to return home by 22:00.
Her car was discovered in a car park at the bottom of a challenging trail in Nattai National Park.
Police found the body around 11:30 local time on Thursday in dense vegetation in the Southern Highlands, emphasizing that it would likely have to be carried out on foot.
There was initial confusion regarding Lily’s condition after New South Wales Premier Chris Minns informed a parliamentary hearing that she had been found alive. Local media also suggested her family had been informed of this.
Minns promptly corrected himself, stating, "Lily’s body has been found," and confirming her death.
"This is obviously devastating, and I’m profoundly sad for her family and for all those concerned," said Minns, offering an apology to the committee.
New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon apologized for a "miscommunication," noting that he would turn back time if possible.
In a press conference, Assistant Police Commissioner Joseph Cassar did not directly answer questions about how Lily’s family was informed of her supposed survival.
A multi-agency search involving NSW Police Force units (PolAir, Rescue Unit, Trail Bike Unit, Mounted Unit, Dog Unit), supported by the Rural Fire Service, National Parks and Wildlife Service, and approximately 100 members of the Australian Defence Force, had been conducted over the past week.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Lily in parliament, describing her death as an unspeakable tragedy: "Lily Hooper had so much more to offer the world. Her passing… will be felt very deeply."
Opposition leader Angus Taylor, Hooper’s local MP, expressed sympathy, highlighting that the initial incorrect reports of Lily’s survival only compounded her family’s grief.
