00:01After waiting by the search command point for eight gruelling days, the family of Lily Hooper received the news they
00:08were holding out for.
00:09Initially, they were told the experienced bush walker was alive, but ten minutes after receiving that information,
00:14police confirmed she was actually found deceased in the thick, dense bushland of the Bonampick walking trail.
00:20Sadly this morning there was a miscommunication when Lily's body was recovered.
00:26That miscommunication, I unashamedly apologise for any additional trauma that may have caused Lily's family,
00:33but certainly for the embarrassment and confusion that caused.
00:37The miscommunication obviously was born out of elation that Lily had been found.
00:42Tragically that miscommunication then led to a deflation and obviously we know now an impact on her family.
00:49Assistant Commissioner Joe Cassar told reporters in a press conference that hundreds of searchers were on the ground,
00:54and were under instruction to communicate if anything of interest was found.
00:59He said the SES member that found Miss Hooper's body believed she was alive.
01:03The area is thick, dense terrain. We've got hundreds of searchers out there.
01:09They're carrying hand-held communication devices and as you can appreciate, we've all experienced it,
01:15sometimes the communication is a challenge.
01:19They've got clear instructions when they do have a find and that can be as simple as an item of
01:25clothing,
01:26or in this case the person we believe to be Lily. That was reported up.
01:32The Assistant Commissioner doesn't believe crew members jumped the gun in their communications
01:36and said everyone was hoping for a positive outcome.
01:39That information was somehow fed to New South Wales Premier Chris Minns,
01:42who shared it publicly in Parliament today, before he then had to correct the record.
01:46I've got some terrible news and I apologise to the committee, but it seems as if the early advice was
01:53wrong.
01:53Assistant Commissioner Cassar expressed his condolences to Miss Hooper's family,
01:57as crews will now work to extricate her body from the challenging terrain.
02:01Given just how dense this bush is, a helicopter is unlikely to be able to winch her out.
02:05Miss Hooper was found a significant distance away from her vehicle
02:09and as normal protocol now, criminal investigators will be engaged to gather any data they can.
02:14The experienced bushwalker went missing in Natai National Park last Wednesday.
02:18Emergency service vehicles that have been stationed here since then are now starting to leave.
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