What happened to Lily Hooper? Missing teen found dead after police told family she was alive

Police in Australia have been forced to apologise after wrongly telling the family of 18-year-old Lily Hooper that she was alive. She’d been missing for eight days in the Australian bush. 

On August 12, the teen left her home in Oakdale, New South Wales, to venture to Nattai National Park for some solo hiking.  She never returned home, and a missing persons report was filed with the New South Wales police. 

Over the course of eight days, multiple national agencies scoured Nattai National Park for the teen. Her body was found on August 20. 

What happened to Lily Hooper, and why were her family misled? 

After an eight-day search of the park, which covers an area of 189 square miles, police were able to locate Lily Hooper’s body. At the same time, her family were told that she’d been recovered alive and well. 

The country's heart has been broken with the body of teenager Lily Hooper, found in bushland in the Southern Highlands, bringing to an end a desperate 8-day search. pic.twitter.com/dK4jr8kIYf

— 7NEWS Sydney (@7NewsSydney) August 20, 2026

Her family, believing she was still alive, were seen celebrating at the search site, and a politician even announced that she was alive during a senate committee hearing. 

Most Read

Tragic update on Perez Hilton, and the one question he’s asking amidst ‘lifelong disfigurement’

‘I lost half of my soul’: Hayden Panettiere shared heartbreak after brother died in 2023 aged 28

‘Peter Pan girl’ finally speaks out, revealing the deep reason she’s obsessed with the character

A few minutes later, he retracted the celebration whilst adding, “I’m just profoundly sad for her family.”

In a press conference on Thursday, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon apologised to the family, noting that “sadly this morning there was a miscommunication when Lily’s body was recovered.”

Credit: New South Wales Police

“I unreservedly apologise for that miscommunication,” he said, adding that he was sorry for “any additional trauma that may have caused Lily’s family, but certainly for the embarrassment and confusion that caused. The miscommunication obviously was born out of elation that Lily had been found. Tragically, that miscommunication then led to a deflation.”

As for the specific reason for the “miscommunication”, the commissioner referenced the remote location where Lily’s body was found. 

More information is expected to follow as the police investigate her death. The coroner is expected to share their findings, and an official investigation into the miscommunication has been launched. 

Lily Hooper’s family are yet to speak out. 

For more like this, like The Tab on Facebook.

Featured image credit: NSW Police