Missing teen hiker Lily Hooper found dead after disappearing in NSW national park a week ago

Premier Chris Minns tells parliament ‘this is obviously devastating’ after earlier announcing 18-year-old had been ‘found alive’ with half a bottle of water

The body of missing 18-year-old bushwalker Lily Hooper has been found in a remote New South Wales national park more than a week after setting out on her hike.

“I’ve got some terrible news,” the NSW premier, Chris Minns, told a parliamentary hearing on Thursday. Just minutes earlier, Minns had said Lily had been “found alive”.

“Lily’s body has been found. She’d been found deceased. This is obviously devastating, and I’m profoundly sad for her family and for all those concerned. I apologise.”

NSW police said in a statement: “The body of a woman has been located in bushland following the search for a missing bushwalker in the southern highlands.”

A police spokesperson said “while yet to be formally identified, the body is believed to be that of the 18-year-old woman”. They said a report would be prepared for the coroner.

Earlier on Thursday, NSW police said a “hiker” had been found following the multi-agency search in the rugged terrain of Nattai national park, about 90km south-west of Sydney .

Minns had initially told a parliamentary hearing that Hooper was “found in the bush with half a bottle of water with her”.

Hooper left her Sydney home on Wednesday 12 August for the hike. Initial police inquiries suggested she reached the summit of Bonnum Pic mountain mid-morning on Wednesday, having sent messages from the trail earlier that day.

She was reported missing when she did not return home that evening. Her car was located by emergency services near the trail head on Wanganderry Road at High Range on Wednesday night.

More than 100 ADF personnel had joined the search operation in the past 24 hours. The army personnel joined people from PolAir, NSW Police Rescue, SES, RFS, Fire and Rescue NSW, and National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Volunteers on the ground include Hooper’s family, family and Volunteer Rescue Association crews mobilised from as far north as Cessnock.

On Monday, police said the search was focused on the lower sections of the Bonnum Pic walking trail.

The NSW police Chief Insp Brendan Bernie said earlier this week: “It’s quite dense with the bushland and there’s a dense tree canopy which also hinders our aerial searching.”