NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon has issued an unreserved apology after the family of missing teenager Lily Hooper was wrongly informed she had been found alive — only to learn minutes later that her body had been discovered in dense bushland in the Southern Highlands. The eight-day search for the 18-year-old came to a heartbreaking end on Thursday morning when an SES volunteer located her remains in Nattai National Park at approximately 11.30am.
A devastating miscommunication
In the moments after Hooper's body was found, a breakdown in communication within police command led searchers and those at the command post to believe she had been found alive. That incorrect information was quickly relayed to her family, who had gathered in hope, and a brief but agonising celebration followed — including a toast — before the truth was confirmed.
Police Assistant Commissioner Joseph Cassar said the correction was delivered within eight to ten minutes of the initial report, though it is understood the family may have waited up to 18 minutes before receiving accurate information about their daughter's death.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday afternoon, Commissioner Lanyon did not shy away from responsibility.
"I unashamedly apologise for any additional trauma that may have caused Lily's family, but certainly for the embarrassment and confusion that caused," Lanyon said.
He described the error as having been born out of the genuine relief felt by searchers when they believed they had found the teenager. "The miscommunication obviously was born out of elation that Lily had been found, and her condition at that time was such that searchers were relieved," he said. "Tragically, that miscommunication then led to a deflation, and obviously we know now an impact on her family."
Lanyon said it was likely a police commander — someone who had formed a close bond with the family over the course of the search — who first shared the incorrect news with Hooper's relatives. He acknowledged that the high-profile nature of the search had caused the erroneous information to travel rapidly through police command, to government officials, and into the public domain.
A family's hope turned to grief
The depth of the family's hope on Thursday morning makes the miscommunication all the more painful. Hooper's father, Jim, had arrived at the search site carrying his daughter's guitar and her favourite chocolate — Tim Tams — determined to welcome her back. "I was never going to give up. She's a beautiful girl," he said.
Her mother, Kirrily, had washed her hair and put on her best sneakers in anticipation of being reunited with her daughter. The moment word arrived that Lily had been found, family members celebrated — only for that relief to be shattered within minutes when the true circumstances were confirmed.
Hooper, from Oakdale in Sydney's south-west, had set out on a hike on the morning of 12 August and did not return home that evening. Her car was found at the Bonnum Pic trailhead the same night she went missing, though authorities noted she was ultimately discovered a considerable distance from her vehicle. A large-scale search involving police, SES volunteers, and other emergency services had been under way for eight days before Thursday's discovery.
Premier also caught up in the confusion
The ripple effect of the miscommunication reached the highest levels of state government. NSW Premier Chris Minns, who was appearing before Budget Estimates at NSW Parliament when the news broke, announced to the committee that Hooper had been found alive — and was then forced to correct himself a short time later.
"I apologise to the committee, but it seems as if the early advice was wrong," Minns told parliament. "This is obviously devastating and I'm just profoundly sad for her family and all those concerned."
In a subsequent statement, Minns said he had received incorrect advice and had genuinely believed he was sharing good news. "My deepest condolences are with Lily's family. I am profoundly sorry to think that anything I said may have added to their heartbreak at an already devastating time," he said.
National tributes paid to Lily Hooper
The tragedy drew responses from national leaders. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, speaking from parliament, said Hooper had been "taken from her family, the community and our nation far too young," adding that she "had so much more to offer the world." Members of parliament observed a moment of silence following his remarks.
Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, in whose electorate the body was found, said the initial confusion had compounded an already devastating situation. "Lily loved bushwalking, and that only compounds the tragedy of her death," he said, thanking the searchers and volunteers who worked tirelessly over the eight-day operation.
As of Thursday, Hooper's family had not made any public statement following her death. Their last public communication — issued through NSW Police earlier in the week — had expressed gratitude to emergency services and volunteers, and urged the public to keep Lily in their thoughts as the search continued. Those thoughts, in the end, could not bring her home.
For those following other cases involving police investigations into the discovery of human remains across regional NSW, authorities continue to urge the public to report any information that may assist ongoing inquiries.
