Potential code word blunder behind false hope for family of missing bushwalker

Police are investigating whether the misinterpretation of a radio code word was the error that ultimately led to loved ones being incorrectly told missing teenage bushwalker Lily Hooper had been found alive.

Hooper family was initially told she had been found alive, sparking brief celebrations, only to be informed minutes later that she was dead.

The 18-year-old’s body was found in dense bushland in the NSW Southern Highlands following an eight-day search.

Code words are frequently usually during searches to prevent loved ones from overhearing graphic operational updates, and may have been misinterpreted at the scene.

This instance is believed to have involved a water bottle analogy.

SES Commissioner Mike Wassing said these are usually set by police.

“It is a common practice to have a code for the circumstances of missing persons,” he said.

On Friday, NSW Premier Chris Minns issued a “profound apology” to the family for the moment he shared the update that was later found to be incorrect.

“I am absolutely devastated and profoundly sorry that anything I said may have added to the grief that [Lily’s] family has gone through,” he said.

“I know they’ve gone through hell over the last week.

“Lily was a fantastic person with a close family and this will be devastating for them.”

Hooper’s body was discovered on Thursday morning after eight days of intensive searching, but a miscommunication saw Hooper’s family wrongly told she was found alive.

The body was later airlifted from the scene on Thursday night.

“A post-mortem examination will be conducted in coming days to formally confirm ID and determine cause of death,” a police spokesperson told nine.com.au

Minns added the government and police will follow strict protocols as the investigation continues to ensure that accurate updates are being provided.

He told the media that he had been in contact with the Hooper family through a police liaison officer, stating that the family requested privacy.

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NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon on Thursday expressed his regret to the family of Hooper, 18, after they believed she had been found alive for up to 10 minutes before authorities provided the shattering update.

“The miscommunication was born out of elation that Lily had been found and her condition at that time was such that searchers were relieved,” Lanyon told media.

“Tragically, that miscommunication then led to a deflation.”

Lanyon admitted the message that the 18-year-old had been found alive had passed through policing before reaching the government and later being widely reported.

He said that the error may have passed through “a number of hands” before reaching Hooper’s parents.

On Friday, the commissioner noted that measures are now being made to ensure that communication in these circumstances is “foolproof”.

“From time to time, particularly when we are searching in remote locations, communication can be challenging,” Lanyon said.

“Yesterday’s miscommunication, as tragic as it was, was not born out of ill-will.”

He reiterated to reporters that it was “not a time for blame” following Thursday’s tragic discovery.

Assistant Commissioner Joe Cassar confirmed on the day of the discovery that police believed the body of Hooper, 18, was found in bushland in NSW’s Southern Highlands on Thursday.

“Our sincere condolences go out to Lily’s mother and father and extended family,” he said.

When asked how the 18-year-old’s family was incorrectly informed about her condition, Cassar said that communication in “thick, dense terrain” can become difficult.

“[Searchers are] carrying handheld communication devices… sometimes the communication is a challenge.

“After that initial report is made, we get further information over time, and it has been a very, very short period of time.

“They were informed that the initial information believed that she was alive.”

Cassar confirmed it was SES searchers who found the body and were able to provide her family with “a more accurate update” after about eight to 10 minutes.

While he did not comment on the cause of death or how long the body may have been there, he said Hooper was “not close” to her car, which was found parked several days after she went missing.

“[The body] wasn’t on a clear, walkable track ... it was some significant distance away from where the vehicle was parked.”

Cassar stood by all involved in the search, including authorities and volunteers, stating he did not believe they “jumped the gun” when carrying out search protocols.

Flags fly at half-mast as community grieves

Flags across Wollondilly have flown at half-mast as the south-west Sydney community pays tribute to the young local.

Stickers printed during the search that read “Lights on for Lily” are also being sold to support the Hooper family, while local landmarks across the suburb were lit in her honour.

Wollondilly Shire Myor Matt Gould said that the outpouring of grief and love for Lily and her family after Thursday’s tragic news has been nothing short of astounding.

“If there’s anything we can do, we will do it as a community,” Gould said.

Bujutsu Martial Arts and Fitness Centre in Smeaton Grange, where Lily trained for two years, also paid respect to the young “talented and tough martial artist”.

“Despite that toughness, Lily was such a lovely person. She was one of those people who everyone simply liked,” sensei Mark Szalajko said.

“Although Lily was only months away from receiving her BJJ Blue Belt, her greatest achievement wasn’t going to be the belt around her waist.

“It was the person she had become along the way—the friendships she had formed, the respect she had earned and the impact she had on the people around her,” he said.

Before question time on Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Angus Taylor observed a minute’s silence out of respect for the 18-year-old hiker.

Premier misinformed by handwritten note

Earlier on Thursday, NSW Premier Chris Minns had shared that he had been told he had been found alive.

Minns was given a handwritten note as he was addressing budget estimates.

He briefly read the note before turning to a staffer behind him and asking “is this accurate?”

“Yes,” was the response.

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

“[She was] found in the bush with half a bottle of water with it, so that’s fantastic news.”

He issued a swift statement after the announcement the body had been found.

“She has been found deceased, and I only raise that because I gave earlier advice,” Minns said.

“This is obviously devastating, and I am profoundly sad for the family and all those concerned.”

In a follow-up statement released after 1.30pm, he apologised for the information he shared, saying he genuinely believed his update to be true.

“Advice I received earlier today relating to Lily Hooper was incorrect,” he said.

“I genuinely believed I was sharing good news.

“My deepest condolences are with Lily’s family. I am profoundly sorry to think that anything I said may have added to their heartbreak at an already devastating time.”

Cassar said he was not aware of who incorrectly told the premier that Hooper had been found alive.

Minns told the media on Friday he was not willing to single out the person who shared the incorrect news with him.

Lanyon told media on Thursday that he called Minns afterwards to apologise for the misinformation he had received and later reported.

Before question time on Thursday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Angus Taylor observed a minute’s silence out of respect for the 18-year-old hiker.

Timeline of the eight-day search

Hooper went missing last Wednesday after embarking on a bushwalk, but her body was found at about 11.30am on Thursday.

“Notification was made by those searches to the command post in relation to the discovery of, at that point, a young lady who we believe to be Lily,” Cassar said.

The last sighting of Hooper before she went missing was on Wednesday, August 12 when she left her home on Burragorang Road in Oakdale at about 8am to go on a hike.

When she hadn’t returned home by 10pm, her family reported her missing.

Her car was found about an hour later on Wanganderry Road at High Range, near the Bonnum Pic Walking Trail in Nattai National Park.

Hooper was last seen alive wearing a shirt and shorts.

The search for Hooper had been ongoing for days, with her family joining in the search.

Rescue crews had battled difficult conditions, as cold and wet weather hit the area over the last week.

The NSW SES released an update on Thursday morning before Hooper was found.

“Our Remote Area Bush Search and Rescue teams are continuing to navigate exceptionally steep drops, dense undergrowth, and complex clifflines across Nattai National Park to ensure every search grid is thoroughly covered.”

Police said in a statement on Thursday that they had found a body in bushland in the NSW Southern Highlands.

“The body of a woman has been located in bushland following the search for a missing bushwalker in the Southern Highlands today,” the statement said.

“While yet to be formally identified, the body is believed to be that of the 18-year-old woman.

A report will be prepared for the Coroner to determine the cause of death, and an operation is underway to recover the body.

Lanyon noted the retrieval of Hooper’s body has become a challenge for authorities due to the dense bushland.

“As of earlier this afternoon, we attempted to use a helicopter to retrieve her body, due to the nature of the terrain and the canopy, we weren’t able to do that.”

NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone confirmed that 260 “highly trained” SES members were part of the massive search over the past five days to locate the teenage hiker.

“We are incredibly proud of all of our searchers,” Malone said.