Desperate search continues for Aussie teen who vanished without a trace five days ago - as her dad makes an emotional plea

By MAISY RAE - NEWS REPORTER and KARLEIGH SMITH - SENIOR REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 01:57, 17 August 2026 | Updated: 01:58, 17 August 2026 The desperate search for missing teenage bushwalker Lily Hooper is approaching a critical point, with a former homicide detective warning authorities may soon have to decide whether to continue searching for her alive or shift to a recovery operation. Lily Hooper, 18, vanished on Wednesday after setting off for a hike in a national park in the NSW Southern Highlands. The experienced hiker was last seen leaving her parents' home on Burragorang Road at Oakdale, south-west of Sydney, at about 8am. She told others she planned to go hiking but has not been seen or heard from since. Just minutes before joining authorities in the search on Monday morning, Lily's father, Jim Hooper, said it had been 'too long' since he had seen his daughter. 'I'm very upset. I just want everyone to cross their fingers,' he told 2SM. 'I'm going to find her today. I'm going back to her now. I'm just putting my boots on. 'I just want everyone to throw love and energy because we've got to go and find her. She's got to be in there somewhere. It's been too long.' It comes as authorities began the fifth day of the search at 8am, with NSW Police, NSW SES and the Lifesaver 21 rescue helicopter crew all involved in the operation. Police hold grave fears for Lily Hooper, an 18-year-old who did not return from a hike The experienced hiker was last seen leaving her parents' home at about 8am on Wednesday Nattai National Park is a short drive south-west of Sydney, and features spectacular trails Former homicide detective Charlie Bezzina told the Daily Mail police will be investigating every aspect of Lily's life as they search for her—including the chance of foul play. 'They will be throwing everything at it, as best they can, until a decision is made when they feel like they've exhausted the search. It will then become a recovery mission, not a location one,' Mr Bezzina said. 'Police will go where the evidence takes them; if a person has willingly gone to disappear, they make it difficult to be found. And if there's any foul play involved - when I was doing investigations, I would say to myself, "Why would someone want to kill this person?"' Mr Bezzina said searching through bush terrain is incredibly difficult. 'Even if she has succumbed to the elements, or has become injured, it's very difficult for police to find evidence as a lot of wild animals in the bush are attracted to that,' he said. 'Police will be getting advice from survival experts on what's the likelihood of survivability for a human in the bush, with no food or water. They know that the buck stops with them and they're the ones who have to give answers to her family.' It comes as more details emerge about the challenging Bonnum Pic trek Lily is believed to have taken, with other hikers describing the trail as involving extensive rock scrambling, bush bashing and difficult route finding. Former homicide detective Charlie Bezzina said the next few hours will be critical in the search A frantic air and land search for the missing teenager has been going since she vanished A popular trail guide app, which describes the 16-kilometre trail as 'strenuous', warns hikers to 'proceed cautiously' on the route. 'Generally considered a highly challenging route, it should only be attempted by experienced adventurers. This trail is great for hiking and walking, and it's unlikely you'll encounter many other people while exploring,' the app states. It also warns there is a 'weak' and 'unreliable' mobile signal on the route. 'Definitely download maps as trail was often hard to find in [the] middle section. Would not recommend to do solo as we had safety in numbers,' one local hiker warned. Another said: 'We did find ourselves off track and doing a fair bit of bush bashing to get back on track.' While it's understood police believe this is a hiking-related incident, a local bushwalker said they used to visit the park but 'got too scared when I noticed a few unusual people and I ended up stopping'. Lily, who turned 18 in December, is a recent graduate of Campbelltown Performing Arts High School, where she was a popular student. Her local martial arts group, Bujutsu Martial Arts and Fitness Centre, said Lily had intended to attend their training session on Wednesday night, but never showed. Police commenced day five of their search for Lily at 8am on Monday Lily's martial arts group posted a tribute to her and said if anyone can survive, it's her 'We were devastated when we heard the news that Lily was missing. She trained at Bujutsu on Tuesday night in our 7pm class and told us that she would be back at Bujutsu for training on Wednesday night,' they said. 'Lily came to us about 2 years ago, as she wanted to focus on Muay Thai, BJJ and MMA training. If anyone can survive a hiking accident, it's Lily. She is one tough girl.' The teenager is from a close-knit family and regularly posts pictures of herself with her sisters and cousins. Lily is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 175cm tall and of slim build, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a shirt and shorts. Police are particularly keen to hear from anyone who walked the Bonnum Pic walking trail on Wednesday or who may have information about Lily's whereabouts. Anyone with information is urged to contact Southern Highlands Police Station or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.