An 18-year-old Australian hiker has been found dead more than a week after disappearing on a solo bushwalk, after her devastated family was briefly and mistakenly informed that she had been located alive.
Lily Hooper was last seen leaving her home in Oakdale, New South Wales, last Wednesday before heading to Nattai National Park, roughly 62 miles away, for a hike, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. When she did not return that night, her family raised the alarm.
About an hour after Hooper was reported missing, authorities found her Hyundai at around 11 p.m. near the base of one of the park’s more difficult walking tracks.
Over the following eight days, an extensive search effort involving about 1,000 people — including volunteers, police and military personnel — pushed through rugged, dense bushland before Hooper’s body was discovered Thursday.
New South Wales Police Assistant Commissioner Joseph Cassar told reporters that volunteers initially advised police at about 11:30 a.m. local time that Hooper had been found alive, before further details clarified the situation.
“Within eight to 10 minutes, we were able to give [her family] an update, which was a more accurate account of the discovery of the person we believed to be Lily,” he said.
“My absolute condolences go out to Lily’s mom and dad.”
Cassar said the incorrect message stemmed from a communication breakdown and issued a sincere apology to Hooper’s family as they faced the tragic outcome.
“They’re carrying handheld communication devices… sometimes the communication is a challenge,” he said.
“I cannot turn the clock back. If we were able to provide them more detailed information on that first report, I can tell you that would have been the case.”
“This is not a circumstance I would like to see repeated and again I apologize for any trauma or embarrassment this has caused,” Mal Lanyon, the New South Wales Police commissioner, said.
News of the initial discovery was passed through to the New South Wales premier, Chris Minns, who was addressing a parliamentary committee.
He even checked with a staffer if the news that Hooper was alive before revealing it.
“We’ve got some fantastic news, Mr Chair,” the pol said. “Lily Hooper has been found alive.
“[Hooper was] found in the bush with half a bottle of water with it, so that’s fantastic news.”
Minns was embarrassingly forced to retract his statement moments later.
“I’ve got some terrible news,” he told lawmakers. “I apologize… Lily’s body has been found.”
It’s not clear how Hooper died and if she sustained any injuries.
“[Her body] wasn’t on a clear, walkable track… it was some significant distance away from where the vehicle was parked,” Cassar said.
He said the challenges of flying her body out of the national park are “proving to be exceptionally difficult” meaning she will likely be brought out on foot.
Just days before the tragic discovery, her dad, Jim, issued a desperate appeal to those who were searching.
“I just want everyone to throw love and energy because we’ve got to go and find her, got to go find this kid … she’s got to be in there somewhere, mate,” he told a local radio station on Monday.
