Missing teen hiker found dead in Australian bush after eight-day search

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. Confirmation came after local media reported that she had been found alive, but later revised to indicate she was deceased.

Hooper left her home in Sydney for a walk in a nearby national park on 12 August. Her family reported her missing that night after she failed to return by 10 pm.

Her car was found in a car park at the bottom of a challenging trail in Nattai National Park. Police recovered the body in the Southern Highlands at about 11:30 local time on Thursday.

There was initial confusion, with NSW Premier Chris Minns stating she was found alive before correcting that Lily’s body had been found and that she was deceased.

Minns offered a heartfelt apology to the parliamentary committee, describing the situation as devastating.

The five‑day search involved multiple NSW Police Force units including PolAir, the Rescue Unit, the Trail Bike Unit, the Mounted Unit, and the Dog Unit, along with the Rural Fire Service, National Parks and Wildlife Service, and nearly 100 members of the Australian Defence Force, reflecting the high‑profile effort to locate the missing bushwalker.