The cause of death of a teen hiker has been revealed by her heartbroken mum after her body was found in the wilderness.
Lily Hooper, 18, was found dead after attempting a challenging solo hike in New South Wales, Australia.
The cause of death of teen hiker Lily Hooper, 18, has been revealed Credit: Jam Press
Lily’s dad Jim Hooper called her ‘unstoppable’ and ‘fearless’ Credit: 7News
The young Australian hiker was found dead after a gruelling eight day search Credit: Jam Press/NSW SES Wollondilly Unit
A tragic communication mess-up meant Lily’s parents thought she had been found alive Credit: Jam Press/NSW SES Wollondilly Unit
She was missing for eight days before her body was found in dense bushland in the Nattai National Park.
It is thought she fell to her death on August 12, the day she went missing.
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Her mother, Kirrily Hooper, told The Daily Telegraph: “Preliminary reports said Lily had a fall, she had an accident that first afternoon, she died the day she went missing and was found lying peacefully in dense bushland.”
Lily’s mum added: “In hindsight we now know she passed quickly and she didn’t suffer in the cold.
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“That was the hardest part, not knowing if she was out there scared in the elements when we would come home at night and try to sleep.”
After her body was found, Lily’s parents spent a heartbreaking 18 minutes believing that she had been found alive but injured after a horrifying mess-up by Australian officials.
It is thought she fell to her death on August 12, the day she went missing Credit: Jam Press
Lily’s mum said: ‘In hindsight we now know she passed quickly and she didn’t suffer in the cold’ Credit: Jam Press/NSW SES Wollondilly Unit
Lily was reported missing after she failed to show up at her boyfriend’s home after her planned hike.
A huge search effort was launched to find the teen.
Her dad Jim Hooper called her “unstoppable” and “fearless”.
He said: “She just loved the outdoors. She just had so many skills that, you know, we tried to install in her.
“She was just a clever kid who wasn’t afraid to take anything on. That was her free spirit.”
When Lily was discovered, her desperate family were tragically given false hope that she was alive but injured.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns announced to parliament that the teenager had been found alive.
He corrected himself shortly after and said her body had been found.
It’s understood Lily’s family were also told the young hiker had been found alive.
The stomach-churning error is thought to have stemmed from confusion surrounding a code word used by rescuers to avoid alarming anyone listening to their radios.
Search crews sent a radio message saying “water bottle broken”, a message that was taken to mean Lily had been found alive but injured, according to The Daily Telegraph.
A rescue volunteer later clarified over radio that Lily had been found deceased.
New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon apologised on Thursday afternoon for giving the family false hope.
“I unashamedly apologise for any additional trauma that may have caused Lily’s family,” he said.
“But certainly for the embarrassment and confusion that caused the miscommunication, obviously was born out of elation that Lily had been found.
“And certainly those at the command posts relayed, tragically, that miscommunication then led to a deflation, and obviously we know now an impact on her family.
Lily’s grief-stricken family were captured in photos hugging each other and sobbing after the tragic news broke.
The family have called for better bush safety education and the promotion of emergency tracking devices for remote hikes.
Dad Jim said: “We think it’d be good if there was a legacy that was left like a Skye’s Law, Jack’s Law… Lily’s Law.
“And that’s about the awareness of going out in the bush with EPIRBs, tracker devices, Garmin, Navman type devices.”
