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fter a week of searching for missing hiker Lily Hooper, news broke on the afternoon of 20 August that a body had been found, believed to be that of the 18-year-old. Ms Hooper went missing on
“Heartbreaking” end to search p3 for Lily August 12 after embarking on a hike in Nattai National Park in NSW’s Southern Highlands, just over an hour north of Kiama. The teenager from Oakdale, in Sydney’s southwest, did not return that evening and could
not be contacted on her mobile phone, triggering a large-scale search by emergency services. Authorities found the body, which had not yet been formally identified when The Bugle went to print but is believed to be Ms Hooper, in
bushland about 11.30am on Thursday, NSW Police said in a statement. Ms Hooper had not been seen since her car was discovered at the Bonnum Pic trailhead on Wednesday night.
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When news of the discovery broke, it came after a mistaken moment of hope. Only hours earlier, it was reported that Ms Hooper had been found alive – misinformation that came via NSW Premier Chris Minns.
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“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”. Continued on P3
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