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

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 18-year-old Lily Hooper. The confirmation came after the state premier told the New South Wales parliament that she had been found alive before later retracting the statement.

The teenager left her home in Sydney to go walking in a nearby national park on 12 August. Her family reported her missing later that night, after she failed to return home by 22:00.

Her car was found in a car park at the bottom of a challenging trail in the Nattai National Park.

Police said that the body was found in the Southern Highlands at approximately 11:30 local time on Thursday. Hooper's body had been found in dense vegetation and would likely have to be carried out on foot.

There was initial confusion as to Hooper's condition, after New South Wales Premier Chris Minns told a parliamentary hearing that she had been found alive. Local media suggested that her family had also been informed that she was alive.

Minns corrected himself shortly afterwards, and told the hearing that "Lily's body has been found" and she was deceased.

"This is obviously devastating, and I'm profoundly sad for her family and for all those concerned," said Minns, and apologised to the committee.

The New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters that he "unreservedly" apologised for the "miscommunication".

In a press conference on Thursday afternoon, Assistant Police Commissioner Joseph Cassar did not directly respond to questions as to how Hooper's family came to be told she had been found alive.

He told reporters that there was a period of between eight to 10 minutes before the teenager's parents were given an updated report on her condition.

He said he did not know exactly what was said to the Hooper family, but that if he "could turn the clock back, I would certainly".

A multi-agency search for the missing bushwalker had taken place over the past week, with support from multiple NSW Police Force units including PolAir, the Rescue Unit, the Trail Bike Unit, the Mounted Unit and the Dog Unit.

Police have also been supported by the Rural Fire Service, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and almost 100 members of the Australian Defence Force.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to the 18-year-old in parliament, calling Hooper's death an unspeakable tragedy.

"Lily Hooper had so much more to offer the world. Her passing, I have no doubt, will be felt very deeply," he said.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor, Hooper's local MP, said the initial incorrect reports that Hooper had been found alive made the family's loss even worse.

"We can only imagine what Lily's family is going through right now. Such news would be a nightmare for any parent, and we grieve for Lily's wider family," Taylor said.