I CAN ONLY IMAGINE, AS A PARENT, WHAT LILY’S PARENTS ARE GOING THROUGH..! – POLICE SHARE DEEPEST SYMPATHIES AS INVESTIGATION CONTINUES INTO TRAGIC D-EATH OF 18-YEAR-OLD LILY HOOPER.

Chris Minns ‘profoundly sorry’ for false hope in Lily Hooper search

NSW Premier Chris Minns has revealed he will personally apologise to the family of young hiker Lily Hooper for mistakenly revealing she had been found alive. ‘

A “profoundly sorry” Chris Minns said he would personally apologise to the family of young hiker Lily Hooper for mistakenly sharing news the 18-year-old had been found alive.

“I’m absolutely devastated and profoundly sorry that anything I said may have added to the grief that family has gone through,” Mr Minns said on Friday.

“I’m profoundly sorry that that happened, and I know the Police Commissioner and myself, the government, will do everything we can to ensure that there are strong protocols in place when it comes to informing government agencies, the family, and the media about the latest up to date, accurate information.”

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – NewsWire Photos – 29th JULY 2026: Premier Chris Minns delivers a State of the State address at the CEDA lunch event in Sydney, to discuss priorities for the year ahead, the economic outlook, and how business can collaborate with the government. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the ordeal the Hooper family went through was due to a “terrible set of circumstances” which will be reviewed in a subsequent investigation.

“I can only imagine, as a parent, what Lily’s parents are going through in our deepest sympathies are with her family,” Mr Lanyon said.

“We will continue to work closely with the family.

“Can I say from time to time, particularly when we are searching in remote locations, communication can be challenging.”

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon spoke with media on Friday. Picture: 9News
Ms Hooper, 18, was found dead in an isolated part of Nattai National Park shortly before midday on Thursday, with police confirming on Friday morning her body had been recovered overnight.

A communication error was sent up authorities’ chain of command after the tragic discovery on Thursday, leading many to initially believe she had been found alive.

A “profoundly sorry” Chris Minns said he would personally apologise to the family of young hiker Lily Hooper for mistakenly sharing news the 18-year-old had been found alive.

“I’m absolutely devastated and profoundly sorry that anything I said may have added to the grief that family has gone through,” Mr Minns said on Friday.

“I’m profoundly sorry that that happened, and I know the Police Commissioner and myself, the government, will do everything we can to ensure that there are strong protocols in place when it comes to informing government agencies, the family, and the media about the latest up to date, accurate information.”

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – NewsWire Photos – 29th JULY 2026: Premier Chris Minns delivers a State of the State address at the CEDA lunch event in Sydney, to discuss priorities for the year ahead, the economic outlook, and how business can collaborate with the government. Picture: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard
NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said the ordeal the Hooper family went through was due to a “terrible set of circumstances” which will be reviewed in a subsequent investigation.

“I can only imagine, as a parent, what Lily’s parents are going through in our deepest sympathies are with her family,” Mr Lanyon said.

“We will continue to work closely with the family.

“Can I say from time to time, particularly when we are searching in remote locations, communication can be challenging.”

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon spoke with media on Friday. Picture: 9News
Ms Hooper, 18, was found dead in an isolated part of Nattai National Park shortly before midday on Thursday, with police confirming on Friday morning her body had been recovered overnight.

A communication error was sent up authorities’ chain of command after the tragic discovery on Thursday, leading many to initially believe she had been found alive.

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Lily Hooper, 18, was found on Thursday. Picture: Supplied

Police confirmed Lily’s body had been recovered from national park on Friday morning. Picture: NewsWire / George Chann
The tragic news of her death was confirmed a short time later.

The communication error led to several media outlets prematurely publishing articles, bulletins and blog posts revealing the teen had been found alive, as well as Mr Minns announcing the “fantastic news” in the middle of a lengthy budget estimates hearing on Thursday.

“We’ve got some fantastic news, Mr chair. Lily Hooper has been found alive,” Mr Minns said.

Minutes later, the Premier received another note with a grim update.

“I’ve got some terrible news, and I apologise to the committee but it seems as if the early advice was wrong, and Lily’s body has been found … she’s been found deceased,” he said.

NSW Premier Chris Minns was forced to walk back an announcement Ms Hooper had been found alive during a budget estimates hearing. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard
During a press conference after the incident, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Joseph Cassar said Ms Hooper’s body was found a significant distance from where her car had been parked.

“I cannot give you the exact distance but I can tell you that it was not on a clear, walkable track,” he said.

“That will form part of the brief for the coroner, but it was some significant distance away from where the vehicle was parked.”

Commissioner Mal Lanyon apologised for the ‘miscommunication’ after Ms Hooper’s body was found. Picture: NSW Police
Later on Thursday, NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon offered his “unashamed” apology to Ms Hooper’s family, blaming the error on a “miscommunication” between those who discovered her body and those tasked with relaying information further up the pipeline.

“As a parent, I can’t conceive the unimaginable grief they are going through,” he said.

“Sadly, this morning there was a miscommunication when Lily’s body was found.

“I unashamedly apologise for any additional trauma that may have caused Lily’s family, and certainly for the embarrassment and confusion that caused.”

Hundreds of volunteers worked around the clock to find the missing teenager. Picture: NewsWire Handout
The multi-agency search for Ms Hooper incorporated several emergency service units and volunteer groups including police, ambulance, fire and rescue, SES and volunteer search and rescue teams.

On Wednesday, the search effort was bolstered significantly by more than 100 ADF specialists.

Ms Hooper, an experienced hiker, was first reported missing late on August 12 after she failed to return to her home in southwest Sydney from a planned hike along the Bonnum Pic hiking trail in Nattai National Park.

Stretching for more than 17km through dense scrub and up along a vast, sweeping plateau, walkers the Bonnum Pic trail is described as a barely visible, densely overgrown and difficult to navigate path.

Ms Hooper’s cause of death is yet to be confirmed.