Body believed to be missing hiker recovered from NSW bushland, police say

Posted Fri 21 Aug 2026 at 7:35amFri 21 Aug 2026 at 7:35amIn short:The body of a woman believed to be missing bushwalker Lily Hooper has been recovered from Nattai National Park overnight, police say.The rough terrain of the national park in NSW's Southern Highlands had made the retrieval process difficult.What's next?A post-mortem examination will take place.The body of a woman believed to be missing bushwalker Lily Hooper has been recovered from dense bushland in the NSW Southern Highlands overnight, police say.A NSW Police spokesperson said the body was retrieved from bushland in Nattai National Park last night after an eight day multi-agency search.The body believed to be that of Ms Hooper was located about 11:30am on Thursday, but Assistant Commissioner Joseph Cassar said that air extrication had proven difficult due to the rough terrain.Lily Hooper, 18, went missing while hiking in the Nattai National Park. (Supplied: NSW Police)"We are exploring every opportunity to get Lily out of there," he said on Thursday afternoon.On Friday a NSW Police spokesperson said the body was retrieved last night and would undergo a post-mortem examination.Ms Hooper left her home in south-western Sydney on the morning of Wednesday, August 12, to go hiking in the Nattai National Park, 90 kilometres south-west of Sydney.Her family alerted police after she failed to return home that evening, which sparked a multi-agency search effort to locate the experienced bushwalker.Her car was later found at the beginning of the Bonnum Pic Walking Trail, a challenging 16km track for more advanced hikers.Mammoth search effortAlmost 100 members of the Australian Defence Force helped with the search for Lily Hooper. (ABC News: Billy Cooper)Almost 1,000 people had helped in the search for Ms Hooper, working day and night, including almost 100 Australian Defence Force personnel, 280 NSW SES volunteers and specialist police crews.The search included scouring dense undergrowth, complex cliff lines and deep ravines, as well as dealing with inclement weather which hampered efforts.The Nattai National park has dense bushland, deep ravines and high cliffs. (ABC Illawarra: Justin Huntsdale)Despite this, no sign of the 18-year-old or any personal belonging was located until Thursday.NSW Premier Chris Minns was informed during budget estimates that Ms Hooper had been found, initially saying that she was alive.This was widely reported by Australian media, including the ABC.The premier later told a parliamentary hearing that a body had been found.SES volunteers at the command post from where the search for Lily Hooper was coordinated. (ABC News: Billy Cooper)The body was found by an SES searcher and there was an "eight to 10-minute" period when Ms Hooper's family believed she was found alive, according to police.Police Commissioner MalLanyon later "unreservedly" apologised for the "miscommunication" and "any additional trauma" to Ms Hooper's family.