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

The body of 18-year-old bushwalker Lily Hooper has been discovered in a remote New South Wales national park, over a week after she went missing on her hike. Police have expressed regret for initially suggesting she was alive when located in "thick and dense terrain" in Nattai national park, about 90km southwest of Sydney. The miscommunication was attributed to elation following Hooper's initial report of an alive hiker, which was later corrected by search volunteers within 10 minutes.

Her body will be retrieved by foot, as air retrieval is deemed difficult. Hooper left her Sydney home on August 12 for the hike, and her car was found near the trailhead on Wanganderry Road at High Range. Nearly 1,000 people participated in the search over the week, with over 100 ADF personnel joining in the last 24 hours. Police are gathering evidence, and a coroner's report will investigate the circumstances of her death.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the tragedy as "unspeakable," and local MP Angus Taylor expressed sympathy for Hooper's family.