Teen hiker Lily Hooper discovered dead after week-long search in NSW park
Lily Hooper set out from Sydney on 12 August and failed to return, prompting a multi-agency search across the rugged Nattai National Park. Premier Chris Minns initially announced she had been found alive, then corrected himself to confirm she was deceased. Police have recovered her remains and will forward a report to the coroner. Over 100 Australian Defence Force personnel, along with police, fire and rescue services, assisted volunteers in the operation.
On 12 August, 18-year-old Lily Hooper left her home in Sydney for a solo trek in the southern highlands, reaching the summit of Bonnum Pic before disappearing. Her car was later found near the trailhead on Wanganderry Road at High Range, and a large search effort involving the Australian Defence Force, NSW Police, PolAir, NSW Police Rescue, SES, RFS, Fire and Rescue NSW, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and volunteer rescue groups was launched.
Premier Chris Minns told a parliamentary hearing that Hooper had been found alive, then retracted the statement and announced she had been found dead. Police have identified the body as hers and will prepare a coroner’s report. The search was hampered by dense canopy and poor weather, but the combined resources eventually located her in the bushland of Nattai National Park.
