Australian police find dead body of missing Lily Hooper, 18, and tell family she's alive
An eight-day search for an Australian teenager has ended in tragedy after officials discovered her body.
There was even more heartbreak for Lily Hooper's family however after New South Wales Premier Chris Minns initially suggested that she had been discovered alive in parliament.
Local media in Australia reported that this information was relayed to her distraught family, however, they later learned that this was a mistake and she had passed away.
Minns corrected himself shortly afterwards, and told the hearing that 'Lily's body has been found' and she was deceased.
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"This is obviously devastating, and I'm profoundly sad for her family and for all those concerned," said Minns, before apologising to the committee.
Hooper first went missing on 12 August after leaving her family home to go walking in a nearby national park, with her family reporting her missing later that night after she failed to return home.
Her car was later discovered at the bottom of a challenging trail in Nattai National Park, with police eventually locating her body on Thursday morning.
New South Wales police commissioner Mal Lanyon told reporters that he 'unreservedly' apologised for the 'miscommunication' which no doubt gave the family hope that Lily would be able to return home safely.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has also paid tribute to the 18-year-old in parliament, calling Hooper's death an unspeakable tragedy.
"Lily Hooper had so much more to offer the world. Her passing, I have no doubt, will be felt very deeply," he said.
Opposition leader Angus Taylor, Hooper's local MP, emphasised that the initial reports being wrong will likely have made the family's loss even worse.
"We can only imagine what Lily's family is going through right now. Such news would be a nightmare for any parent, and we grieve for Lily's wider family," Taylor said.
Assistant Police Commissioner Joseph Cassar refused to answer many questions about the mix-up but suggested that there was probably between eight and 10 minutes before the family were given an updated report on Lily's condition.
“[Police] had close communications with both Lily’s mother and father,” Mr Cassar said.
“If we were able to provide them more detailed information on that first report, I can tell you that would have been the case.... if I could turn the clock back, I would certainly.”
Lily was an 'experienced walker' and it was hoped that she would be able to navigate the conditions and return home safely, with search and rescue teams also deployed over the past week in a huge effort to get her home safely.
“Our family is absolutely devastated that our beloved daughter Lily is missing,” her parents said on Tuesday.
“We would like to thank all the emergency services and volunteers for their support and continued commitment to the search, not only during the day but throughout the night.”
After initially sharing the 'fantastic news' of Hooper's body being found with parliament, Mr Minns later apologised for the tragic mix-up.
“I am profoundly sorry to think that anything I may have said may have added to their heartbreak at an already devastating time,” he said.
James Moorhouse