MISSING TEEN HIKER LILY HOOPER FOUND DEAD IN NSW NATIONAL PARK

The body of 18-year-old bushwalker Lily Hooper has been found in Nattai National Park in New South Wales, more than a week after she disappeared on a hike. NSW Premier Chris Minns announced the discovery to parliament on Thursday, having minutes earlier mistakenly stated that Hooper had been found alive. NSW Police said in a statement that a body had been located in bushland following a multi-agency search in the southern highlands, approximately 90 kilometres south-west of Sydney. Police said the body was believed to be that of the missing 18-year-old woman, pending formal identification, and that a report would be prepared for the coroner.

Hooper left her Sydney home on Wednesday, 12 August to hike in the national park. Police inquiries indicated she reached the summit of Bonnum Pic mountain mid-morning that day, having sent messages from the trail earlier in the morning. She was reported missing when she failed to return home that evening. Her car was found by emergency services near the trail head on Wanganderry Road at High Range on Wednesday night. The search operation involved more than 100 Australian Defence Force personnel, who joined the effort in the 24 hours before the discovery.

Minns told parliament that the earlier incorrect information about Hooper being found alive represented an error in the advice he had received. He said the discovery was "obviously devastating" and expressed sadness for Hooper's family and all those involved in the search.