Heartbroken family wrongly told missing daughter, 18, was alive after vanishing on hike hours before body found

THE devastated family of a missing hiker were wrongly told their teenage daughter was alive after her body was found in the wilderness. Lily Hooper’s parents spent a heart-breaking 18 minutes believing that she had been found alive but injured after Australian officials made a sickening mistake. The body of 18-year-old Lily Hooper was found in dense bushland Credit: NSW Police Lily had been attempting a challenging hike in dense bushland Credit: NSW Police The 18-year-old’s body was found in dense bushland in the southern highlands of New South Wales following a desperate search to find her. The confusion surrounding Lily’s condition came to light when NSW Premier Chris Minns announced to parliament that the teenager had been found alive. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! He corrected himself shortly after and said her body had been found. It’s understood Lily’s family were also told the young hiker had been found alive. Lily’s family were wrongly told that she had been found alive Credit: 7 News Rescuers spent days searching for Lily after she went missing on August 12 Credit: 7 News The stomach-churning error is believed to have stemmed from confusion surrounding a code word used by rescuers to avoid alarming anyone listening to their radios. Search crews sent a radio message saying “water bottle broken”, a message that was taken to mean Lily had been found alive but injured, according to local paper The Daily Telegraph. A rescue volunteer later clarified over radio that Lily had been found deceased. The first message that Lily had been found was broadcast at 11.27am local time. Most read in The Sun The broadcast delivering the upsetting news that she had died came through at 11.45am. NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon apologised on Thursday afternoon for giving the family false hope. “I unashamedly apologise for any additional trauma that may have caused Lily’s family,” he said. “But certainly for the embarrassment and confusion that caused the miscommunication, obviously was born out of elation that Lily had been found. “And certainly those at the command posts relayed, tragically, that miscommunication then led to a deflation, and obviously we know now an impact on her family. “Once again, I unreservedly apologise for that miscommunication.” Lily’s grief-stricken family were captured in photos hugging each other and sobbing after the tragic news broke. The body has not yet been officially identified, but police believe it to be Lily. The teenager had gone missing on August 12 while attempting a challenging trail hike in the Nattai National Park. Her family reported her missing later that night, launching a desperate search. Lily’s car was found at a carpark at the base of the hike. The 10 mile trail is considered a challenging route that should only be attempted by experienced hikers. It’s unlikely hikers will encounter others on the trail and phone signals are weak on the route, according to a walking guide. The area is covered in dense bushland. The body will need to be retrieved on foot, in a process that could take hours. Comment now