A heartbreaking search for missing teenager Lily Hooper took another devastating turn when she was mistakenly declared alive, only for authorities to confirm minutes later that she had passed away.
The 18-year-old had disappeared after setting out on a solo hike in New South Wales’ Nattai National Park on August 12.
After eight days of searching, her family was told she had been found alive. However, news was soon corrected, leaving her loved ones facing an even more painful shock.
“Why was there a previous release of information that said she had been found alive? That’s really bad,” asked one commenter.
Lily Hooper went missing after setting out on a solo hike in Australia
Hooper left her home in Sydney’s south-west on the morning of Wednesday, August 12, planning to hike the Bonnum Pic walking trail in Nattai National Park.
According to police, she was believed to have reached the summit of Bonnum Pic during the morning and had sent messages from the trail earlier that day. When she did not return home that evening, her family reported her missing.
Police later found her Hyundai near the Bonnum Pic walking trail on Wanganderry Road at High Range.
That discovery triggered a huge multi-agency search involving police, NSW State Emergency Service volunteers, Rural Fire Service firefighters, Australian Defense Force personnel, National Parks and Wildlife Service staff, 100 ADF personnel, and others.
Almost 1,000 people eventually took part in the search.
Lily Hooper & Family Support Page
Police used helicopters, thermal-imaging technology, and telecommunications data to try to establish Hooper’s movements.
SES volunteers trained in bush search and rescue were also deployed, with 260 volunteers involved between Saturday and Thursday.
The search was made harder by the terrain and poor weather.
Bonnum Pic was described as a difficult hike, with steep and exposed sections. Post-fire regrowth had also made parts of the trail overgrown and difficult to follow.
After eight days of searching, the family was told their loved one was alive
At about 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, an SES search volunteer found Hooper in thick, dense terrain inside Nattai National Park.
The initial information passed to police was that she had been found alive.
That information then reached Hooper’s parents, who had been staying at the search command post throughout the operation.
Her father, Jim Hooper, had refused to give up hope. On the eighth day, he placed his daughter’s guitar and a packet of Tim Tams under the family’s makeshift marquee, hoping it might somehow draw her back.
When he believed Hooper had been found alive, he broke down in tears.
“She’s coming home,” he said.
He also told reporters, “I’ve been beside myself … we found her.”
For several minutes, the family and others at the search site believed they were finally getting the outcome they had desperately wanted.
Sadly, the information was wrong.
Within roughly eight to 10 minutes, searchers revealed that Hooper had passed away.
The family was then forced to process the devastating news after briefly believing their daughter was coming home.
A commenter summed up the anger, adding, “They really shouldn’t have put she was alive if they had no idea. That’s a disappointing outcome after all.”
Authorities are now investigating how the miscommunication happened
At the center of the confusion was reportedly a radio communication system used by SES searchers.
According to the information released after Hooper’s passing, searchers may use references to full, half or empty bottles of water when reporting a person’s condition over radio communications.
The system is designed to avoid openly stating someone’s condition if family members could be listening.
A half bottle of water is believed to indicate that a person’s condition is unclear.
Hooper’s mother said police told her that her daughter had been found alive with half a bottle of water in her possession.
NSW Police do not use the same code during their own searches.
NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone also said radio communications in remote areas could become broken up, adding another possible complication to how information was passed between people.
Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the information could have passed through several people because of the remote location where Hooper was found.
“The communication may have passed through a number of hands,” he said.
Authorities are now reviewing how the information traveled from the search site to police, Hooper’s family and senior government officials.
Police apologized to Hooper’s family for the pain the news caused
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon gave an “unreserved” apology on Thursday, August 20.
“Sadly this morning there was a miscommunication when Lily’s body was recovered,” Lanyon said.
He added, “I unreservedly apologize for that miscommunication.”
Lanyon also acknowledged that the mistake may have caused Hooper’s family even more pain.
“The miscommunication obviously was born out of elation that Lily had been found,” he said. “Tragically, that miscommunication then led to a deflation.”
Assistant Commissioner Joseph Cassar said Hooper’s parents believed she had been found alive for around eight to 10 minutes.
“Unfortunately, it did take that small period of time for us to give them an update,” he said.
Cassar added, “If we were able to provide them more detailed information on that first report, I can tell you that would have been the case.”
He also rejected suggestions that police had rushed to tell the family before confirming Hooper’s condition.
“No, I don’t believe we’ve jumped the g*n,” Cassar said, pointing to the eight-day search and the hundreds of trained volunteers involved.
He admitted, “If I could turn the clock back I certainly would.”
Besides Hooper’s family, the incorrect information also reached the NSW Premier
Lily Hooper & Family Support Page
NSW Premier Chris Minns was told that Hooper had been found alive while he was speaking during a parliamentary budget estimates committee hearing.
He then publicly announced the news.
But only minutes later, Minns had to return to the hearing and correct himself.
“I’ve got some terrible news,” he said.
“I apologize to the committee, but it seems as if the early advice was wrong. Lily’s body’s been found, and she’s been found deceased.”
Minns said he had genuinely believed he was sharing good news.
In a later statement, he said, “I am profoundly sorry to think that anything I may have said may have added to their [Lily’s family] heartbreak at an already devastating time.”
Lanyon later said he personally contacted Minns to apologize for the incorrect information.
The information had traveled from police through police commands and Police Minister Yasmin Catley before reaching the premier’s office.
“Now I am just heartbroken,” wrote one netizen
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