The body of an 18-year-old Sydney teenager has been found in Australian bushland after an eight-day search.Lily Hooper was reported missing on August 12 after leaving her home to go for a walk in Nattai National Park. Her family contacted police later that night when she failed to return by 10 pm, BBC reportedHer car was later located in a car park near the bottom of a difficult walking trail.Police found a woman’s body in dense vegetation in the Southern Highlands at about 11.30 am on Thursday. Officers said the body had not yet been formally identified, but investigators believe it is Hooper.The discovery followed a large search involving multiple NSW Police units, including PolAir, the Rescue Unit, the Trail Bike Unit, the Mounted Unit and the Dog Unit. The Rural Fire Service, National Parks and Wildlife Service and nearly 100 Australian Defence Force personnel also assisted.The search was overshadowed by confusion over Hooper’s condition after New South Wales Premier Chris Minns mistakenly told parliament that she had been found alive.Minns later corrected the statement, saying: “Lily’s body has been found” and confirming that she had died.“This is obviously devastating, and I’m profoundly sad for her family and for all those concerned,” Minns said, apologising to the parliamentary committee.NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon also issued an “unreserved” apology over the incorrect information.Assistant Police Commissioner Joseph Cassar said Hooper’s parents received an updated account of her condition around eight to 10 minutes after the initial information.He said he could not confirm exactly what had been communicated to the family.Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid tribute to Hooper in parliament, calling her death an “unspeakable tragedy”.“Lily Hooper had so much more to offer the world. Her passing, I have no doubt, will be felt very deeply,” he said.
