NSW premier 'praying for good news' in search for missing hiker

What it is about

Who published it, and when

How it spread - 37 original reports, 24 reprints

1. Fri, 14 August 2026

   3 reports
   • ABC News (Australia)01:15first to report
     NSW premier 'praying for good news' in search for missing hiker

     URL changednow www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/lily-hooper-missing-nattai-national-park-search/107036618

     Australian Defence Force personnel have joined the search for bushwalker Lily Hooper, who has gone missing while hiking alone in Nattai National Park, south-west of Sydney.

   • dailymail.com05:40
     Urgent search continues for missing bushwalker

     Lily Hooper was last seen leaving her parents' home on Burragorang Road at Oakdale, south-west of Sydney, around 8am on Wednesday.

   • northerndailyleader.com.au17:34
     Search for missing teenage hiker enters third day

     URL changednow www.northerndailyleader.com.au/story/9330771/no-sign-of-teen-hiker-as-challenging-search-continues/

     An 18-year-old girl remains missing in a rugged national park after her family lost contact with her just...

     1 reprint

     • tenterfieldstar.com.au14 Aug, 17:34their copy
2. Sat, 15 August 2026

   2 reports
   • The Guardian World01:07
     Fears for missing Sydney teen who hasn’t been seen since leaving for hike on Wednesday

     Fresh search teams to scour Nattai national park for Lily Hooper, 18, who failed to return home from a bushwalk Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The search for an 18-year-old bushwalker missing in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales since Wednesday is continuing, with fresh teams arriving at the Nattai national park on Saturday morning. Lily Hooper left her home in Sydney’s south-west about 8am on 12 August, after telling family she was going for a hike in the...

   • sconeadvocate.com.au06:26
     No sign of teen hiker as 'challenging' search continues

     Search teams are navigating "challenging" terrain for a third day after an 18-year-old girl went missing while on...

     4 reprints

     • illawarramercury.com.au15 Aug, 06:26their copy
     • examiner.com.au15 Aug, 06:26their copy
     • bunburymail.com.au15 Aug, 06:26their copy
     • crookwellgazette.com.au15 Aug, 06:26their copy
3. Mon, 17 August 2026

   2 reports
   • ABC News (Australia)01:01edited after publishing
     Family and friends help search for missing 18yo bushwalker

     Police examine telecommunications data and continue to deploy a thermal-imaging helicopter as the search for missing bushwalker Lily Hooper, 18, enters its sixth day.

   • standard.net.au07:58
     Rescuers hopeful missing teenage hiker 'alive and safe'

     The hunt for an 18-year-old experienced bushwalker missing in a rugged national park remains a search and rescue...

4. Tue, 18 August 2026

   1 report
   • ABC News (Australia)07:09
     Family of missing 18yo hiker confronts 'unimaginable situation'

     Lily Hooper's family releases its first statement this afternoon, as the seventh day of the search for the 18-year-old, missing in the Nattai National Park, continues.

     1 reprint

     • The Guardian World18 Aug, 09:51their copy
5. Wed, 19 August 2026

   1 report
   • ABC News (Australia)04:56
     Search for missing hiker to enter second week as ADF called in

     Close to 100 members of the Australian Defence Force are now part of the search for Lily Hooper, who has been missing for seven days in Nattai National Park.

6. Thu, 20 August 2026

   15 reports
   • theage.com.au01:47edited after publishing
     Police commissioner apologises for miscommunication after family told that deceased bushwalker was alive

     previouslyMissing Sydney bushwalker found in NSW Southern Highlands, condition unclear

     Lily Hooper was found dead in dense bushland on Thursday morning. But for about 20 minutes, her family thought she was alive.

     1 reprint

     • brisbanetimes.com.au20 Aug, 01:47their copy
   • dailymail.com01:52edited after publishing
     Body of missing Sydney bushwalker Lily Hooper found

     previouslyMissing Sydney bushwalker Lily Hooper found alive

     The experienced hiker was last seen leaving her parents' home on Burragorang Road at Oakdale, south-west of Sydney, at about 8am last Wednesday.

   • ABC News (Australia)02:05
     Breaking: Missing 18-year-old bushwalker Lily Hooper found alive

     URL changednow www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-20/missing-18-year-old-bushwalker-lily-hooper-found/107045898

     Missing bushwalker Lily Hooper has been found alive after an eight-day search in the NSW Southern Highlands.

   • ABC News (Australia)02:05
     Body believed to be missing 18-year-old bushwalker Lily Hooper found

     NSW Police have confirmed the body of a woman believed to be missing bushwalker Lily Hooper has been found after an eight-day search in the NSW Southern Highlands.

   • perthnow.com.au02:14edited after publishing
     Touching gesture after hiker’s tragic death

     previouslyMissing teen hiker found after eight days

     Tributes have poured in for 18-year-old hiker Lily Hooper after her body was found in Nattai National Park - with one council performing a touching gesture in her honour.

   • BBC News World03:16edited after publishing
     Missing teen hiker found dead in Australian bush after eight-day search

     The state premier initially said Lily Hooper had been found alive before police confirmed her death.

   • mamamia.com.au04:45
     Arvo News Update

     HEADLINES: Three 17-year-old boys have been charged over the alleged rape of a teenage girl in Sydney's southwest at the weekend. The body of missing hiker Lily Hooper has been found after an eight-day search in the NSW Southern Highlands. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly planning to move with their children back to Britain this month. Israel's ambassador to Australia says mistakes were made by a humanitarian aid convoy struck by an airstrike that killed aid worker Zomi Frankcom....

   • Index.hr (Croatia)05:39
     U australskoj divljini nađena mrtva tinejdžerica. Obitelji prvo javili da je živa

     NAKON osmodnevne potrage u australskoj divljini, pronađeno je tijelo 18-godišnje Lily Hooper.

   • canberratimes.com.au07:01
     'If I could turn back the clock': Tragic end to eight-day search for Lily

     A communication error gave the missing teen's parents false hope.

   • areanews.com.au07:59
     Police apology for traumatic mix-up in hiker tragedy

     A state police commissioner has apologised to a grieving family after they were mistakenly told their missing daughter...

     2 reprints

     • yasstribune.com.au20 Aug, 07:59their copy
     • canberratimes.com.au20 Aug, 07:59their copy
   • The Guardian World09:34edited after publishing ×2
     Missing teen hiker Lily Hooper found dead as NSW police apologise for miscommunication ‘born of elation’

     previouslyMissing teen hiker Lily Hooper found dead after disappearing in NSW national park a week ago

     Initial report from ‘thick and dense terrain’ where Hooper was located was she had been found alive but within 10 minutes a ‘more accurate account’ was relayed to police Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast The body of missing 18-year-old bushwalker Lily Hooper has been found in a remote New South Wales national park more than a week after she set out on her hike. Police have apologised “unreservedly” for wrongly suggesting Hooper had been alive when she was found by SES...

   • The Guardian World09:51
     From ‘elation’ to ‘terrible news’ in 10 minutes: how the confusion over missing bushwalker Lily Hooper unfolded

     The 18-year-old’s body was found in Nattai national park on Thursday – but initial police messages indicated she was alive Teen hiker Lily Hooper found dead as NSW police apologise for miscommunication ‘born of elation’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Police have blamed dense bushland and radio confusion for wrongly reporting to 18-year-old Lily Hooper’s parents, the New South Wales premier and the media that the missing bushwalker had been found alive. Hooper had...

   • aol.co.uk14:46
     Police mix-up branded 'unforgivable' as family told missing teen was alive then minutes later that she was dead

     A major search for a missing teenager has ended in heartbreak after incorrect information that she had survived was passed to her family despite being told she was found deceased minutes later

     1 reprint

     • mirror.co.uk20 Aug, 14:46their copy
   • nynganobserver.com.au17:33
     Investigation to follow traumatic hiker mix-up

     URL changednow www.nynganobserver.com.au/story/9334525/code-word-at-centre-of-teenage-hiker-survival-bungle/

     Police have committed to reviewing communications procedures after a tragic miscommunication in the search for a missing hiker.

     3 reprints

     • queanbeyanage.com.au20 Aug, 17:33their copy
     • oberonreview.com.au20 Aug, 17:33their copy
     • cootamundraherald.com.au20 Aug, 17:33their copy
   • ABC News (Australia)21:35edited after publishing
     Probe into whether police 'code' led to hiker being declared alive

     previouslyMissing hiker Lily Hooper's body recovered from NSW bush, police say

     Emergency services are investigating whether a miscommunication about a police code may have led to hiker Lily Hooper being incorrectly identified as alive.

7. Fri, 21 August 2026

   7 reports
   • narrominenewsonline.com.au01:11
     I wrote the headline celebrating a life saved, then came the devastating truth

     The rush to report a miracle, then the need to report a tragedy.

     4 reprints

     • tenterfieldstar.com.au21 Aug, 01:11their copy
     • newcastleherald.com.au21 Aug, 01:11their copy
     • bluemountainsgazette.com.au21 Aug, 01:11their copy
     • merimbulanewsweekly.com.au21 Aug, 01:11their copy
   • Channel News Asia01:52
     Australian police recover body of missing teenage hiker near Sydney

     New South Wales Premier Chris Minns apologised on Thursday (Aug 19) for initially reporting that the teenager had been found alive.

   • BBC News World04:54
     Australian hiker's body recovered as officials apologise for misreporting she was alive

     The body of Lily Hooper, 18, has been airlifted from a national park in the Southern Highlands following an eight-day search.

   • hardenexpress.com.au06:31
     Code word at centre of teenage hiker survival bungle

     How the family of a missing teen hiker were mistakenly led to believe she was still alive will...

     6 reprints

     • gleninnesexaminer.com.au21 Aug, 06:31their copy
     • southernhighlandnews.com.au21 Aug, 06:31their copy
     • hepburnadvocate.com.au21 Aug, 06:31their copy
     • muswellbrookchronicle.com.au21 Aug, 06:31their copy
     • therural.com.au21 Aug, 06:31their copy
     • mudgeeguardian.com.au21 Aug, 06:31their copy
   • irrigator.com.au06:53
     'They've gone through hell': Premier's apology to Hooper family

     Premier Chris Minns promises reform after a tragic mistake.

     1 reprint

     • southernhighlandnews.com.au21 Aug, 06:53their copy
   • independent.co.uk08:27
     Body of missing teen hiker recovered from bushland after family told ‘she’s alive’

     The body of a woman, believed to be Lily Hooper, was located on Thursday following an eight-day search

   • Le Figaro (France)19:25
     «Les premières informations étaient erronées»: une randonneuse annoncée vivante retrouvée morte en Australie

     Dans l’État de Nouvelle-Galles du Sud, en Australie, le chef du gouvernement Chris Minns a annoncé que la randonneuse Lily Hooper, portée disparue depuis le 12 août, avait été retrouvée vivante. Quelques minutes plus tard, il a dû rectifier.

8. Sat, 22 August 2026

   1 report
   • The Guardian World05:59
     Sorrow as community pays tribute to ‘shining light’ Lily Hooper after NSW hiking tragedy

     The 18-year-old remembered as a talented athlete with an infectious smile and ‘one of those people who everyone simply liked’ Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Tributes have flowed for 18-year-old Lily Hooper, remembered as an adventurous, multitalented athlete with an infectious smile, after her body was found on Thursday afternoon, eight days after she disappeared while hiking in the New South Wales southern highlands. The teenager was a fixture across local...

9. Sun, 23 August 2026

   1 report
   • miragenews.com20:45
     Police Appeal To Locate Teenage Girl

     Police are appealing for public assistance to locate a teenage girl missing from the state's Central Coast.Summer Vernon, aged 17, was last seen in

10. Tue, 25 August 2026

    1 report
    • ABC News (Australia)07:42
      Distress beacon borrowing program proposed after teen hiker's death

      The beacons are part of a safety program proposed by Wollondilly Council in memory of Lily Hooper who died while bushwalking in Nattai National Park.

11. Thu, 27 August 2026

    1 report
    • ABC News (Australia)20:33
      Family fears woman missing for weeks will become 'another statistic'

      Search crews have found no trace of Stephanie Cordery since she went missing in northern NSW three weeks ago.

12. Mon, 31 August 2026

    1 report
    • ABC News (Australia)04:53edited after publishing
      Newborn baby's body found inside bin in Sydney's west

      previouslyBreaking: Newborn baby's body found inside bin in Sydney's west

      NSW Police said officers have set up a crime scene and urged the baby boy's mother to come forward.

13. Tue, 1 September 2026

    1 report
    • ABC News (Australia)22:02edited after publishing
      Hiker found after spending night in Mount Remarkable National Park

      previouslySearch underway for hiker missing at Mount Remarkable National Park

      A woman has been found after spending the night at Mount Remarkable in South Australia's Mid North.