Inside the police mix-up that wrongly told Lily Hooper's family she was alive

By SARAH BROOKES - SENIOR REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 06:26, 20 August 2026 | Updated: 06:27, 20 August 2026 Urgent questions are being asked after Lily Hooper's family were mistakenly told she had been found alive after eight days searching for the missing bushwalker. The experienced hiker was last seen leaving her parents' home on Burragorang Road at Oakdale, south-west of Sydney, at 8am last Wednesday.  Her family were reportedly told the 18-year-old had been found alive at Nattai National Park just after 11am on Thursday, before police clarified they were still working to determine her condition. The mix-up led NSW Premier Chris Minns to announce at a budget estimates hearing that Lily had been found alive in the bush with 'half a bottle of water'. Minutes later, he returned to correct the record.  NSW Police then confirmed she had been found dead. Assistant Commissioner Joseph Cassar said there was a 'short window' between SES volunteers finding Lily Hooper and confirming she was deceased. 'I think it would be fair to say that they were informed (of)... initial information (from) the searchers believed that she was alive, and that's what was communicated,' he said. 'We, of course, get further information over time and it has been a very, very short period of time - in fact, between eight and 10 minutes - that we're able to provide Lily's parents with the updated status.' NSW Police have clarified that a body was found during the search for Lily Hooper after it was revealed her family were mistakenly told she was alive Nattai National Park is a short drive south-west of Sydney, and features spectacular trails Pictured, searchers could be seen emotionally embracing after the news Lily Hooper had been found dead  RMIT Associate Professor of Criminology and Justice Dr Brianna Chesser had signalled the cause of the miscommunication would have been a breakdown of information before Assistant Commissioner Cassar spoke to reporters. 'It seems that there has been an issue with the information either obtained by or given to the police,' she told the Daily Mail. 'This erroneous information was then passed onto the Premier, who delivered it to Parliament.'  Assistant Commissioner Cassar said police spoke to Lily's parents with the 'hope for a more positive outcome'. 'Unfortunately, that's not the case. I cannot turn the clock back,' he 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.  'But unfortunately, it did take that small period of time for us to give them an update.' The assistant commissioner said hundreds of volunteers trained in search operations had been scouring thick, dense terrain. Police sources have said 'another responding agency' initially advised police the teenager had been found alive This unverified information was relayed by NSW Police officers through state command channels and to Lily's family  An SES source has said the reference to a 'water bottle', made by Chris Minns in Parliament when he mistakenly announced that Lily had been found, may have been a code word to shield the family from hearing tragic news Dr Chesser said any potential legal action taken by the family following the mistake would face substantial hurdles. 'Potentially, yes, they could sue under a claim of negligence,' she said.  'However, Australian courts have historically been reluctant to find that police owe a duty of care in relation to communications made in rapidly evolving or fluid situations.'  Dr Chesser said Section 148 of the Police Act 1990 generally protects police officers from liability for acts undertaken in good faith while carrying out their duties. 'The State would also maintain a broad immunity unless gross operational negligence can be established, which is a high threshold,' she added.  Rather than ending up in a courtroom, Dr Chesser said the circumstances surrounding the communications failure could ultimately be examined through the coronial process. 'It is likely that Lily's death will be the subject of a coronial inquiry and could be investigated as part of an inquest,' she said.  The communications blunder is not the first time Australian authorities have come under scrutiny for providing incorrect life-and-death information. In May, Victorian Police wrongly told Melbourne woman Michelle Buckley's family she had died after she was mistakenly identified as the deceased homeless woman found in Melbourne's west.  Michelle Buckley has since hired law firm Slater and Gordon to investigate not only how the misidentification initially occurred but how it was able to continue for so long.  Public liability lawyer Kieren McKenzie said he had never seen a case of this kind and likened it to a 'Hollywood script'.  Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.