Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Police Recover Body of Missing Teenage Hiker Near Sydney
An 18-year-old hiker went missing after going to Nattai National Park near Sydney.
Her car was found at the beginning of a difficult walking track.
Police and emergency workers searched the park for more than a week.
They found a body in the bushland on Thursday.
The body was taken away by helicopter because the area was hard to reach.
News reports identified the hiker as Lily Hooper, but officials still need to formally confirm her identity.
Doctors will also examine the body to find out how she died.
Officials apologised because they had earlier mistakenly said she was alive.
Australian police recovered the body of an 18-year-old hiker from dense bushland on Thursday.
The hiker, identified by multiple media outlets as Lily Hooper, went missing after leaving home on August 12.
Her car was found near a challenging 16-kilometre track in Nattai National Park.
Police, emergency crews and Australian Defence Force personnel took part in an extensive search.
Officials apologised after incorrectly reporting that Hooper had been found alive; identity and cause of death remain pending.
- Who
- An 18-year-old hiker, identified by multiple media outlets as Lily Hooper, was the subject of the search.
- What
- Australian police recovered a body believed to be that of the missing hiker.
- When
- She went missing on August 12; the body was located on Thursday, with the report dated August 21.
- Where
- Dense bushland in Nattai National Park, about 100 kilometres southwest of Sydney.
- Why
- Police and emergency crews searched for her after she failed to return from a hike.
- Age
- 18
- Missing since
- August 12
- Location
- Nattai National Park, about 100 kilometres southwest of Sydney
- Walking track
- A challenging 16-kilometre track intended for more advanced hikers
- Recovery
- The body was airlifted from the site
- Search effort
- Police, emergency crews and several Australian Defence Force personnel participated
- Next steps
- A post-mortem examination will formally confirm identity and determine the cause of death