Body of Missing Teen Lily Hooper Found in NSW Bush

The body of 18-year-old bushwalker Lily Hooper has been found in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, ending an eight-day search that was marred by a tragic communications error that briefly led her family and officials to believe she had been found alive. The discovery was confirmed by police on Thursday, August 20, 2026, after a major multi-agency operation in the challenging terrain of Nattai National Park.

Hooper was last seen leaving her family's home in Oakdale, southwest of Sydney, at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, August 12, to go hiking. When she did not return by 10 p.m. that night, her family reported her missing. Police located her car at the bottom of the Bonnum Pic trail that evening, prompting a large-scale search involving hundreds of personnel from NSW Police, the State Emergency Service, Rural Fire Service, National Parks and Wildlife Service, and nearly 100 Australian Defence Force members.

The search concluded on Thursday morning when a woman's body was discovered. However, a significant error occurred in the initial communication of the finding. According to police, an unverified report from another responding agency indicated the teenager had been found alive....