“BRING LILY HOME” — 200 RESCUERS RACE TO FIND MISSING 18-YEAR-OLD HIKER
“BRING LILY HOME” — 200 RESCUERS RACE TO FIND MISSING 18-YEAR-OLD HIKER
NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA — The desperate search for 18-year-old Lily Hooper has entered its seventh day, with hundreds of emergency personnel continuing to scour some of the most difficult terrain in the Southern Highlands.
Lily, an experienced bushwalker from Oakdale, left home at about 8 a.m. last Wednesday intending to hike in Nattai National Park.
She never returned.
Her family reported her missing after she failed to come home, and around 11 p.m. that night, her car was discovered on Wanganderry Road near the beginning of the Bonnum Pic Walking Trail.
HER LAST KNOWN MOVEMENTS
Police believe Lily reached the summit of Bonnum Pic around midmorning.
After that, however, investigators have been unable to establish where she went.
There has been no confirmed contact with Lily and, despite days of intensive searching, authorities have not located her or any confirmed belongings belonging to her.
The uncertainty has made the search increasingly urgent.
200 EMERGENCY AND DEFENSE PERSONNEL JOIN SEARCH
The operation has now expanded into a major multi-agency effort.
About 200 emergency services and Australian Defence Force personnel are searching the area, while more than 260 SES volunteers have also been involved in the broader operation.
Police rescue teams, search dogs, mounted units, trail-bike crews, helicopters, drones, firefighters, paramedics and National Parks personnel have all been deployed.
But the landscape is making the operation extraordinarily difficult.
Search crews are moving through dense tree canopies, steep drops, ravines and exceptionally rugged bushland across Nattai National Park and surrounding areas.
FAMILY MAKES EMOTIONAL PLEA
Lily’s family has described themselves as “absolutely devastated” by her disappearance.
They have thanked emergency workers and volunteers for continuing the search around the clock and urged people to keep Lily and the family in their thoughts.
At the same time, the family has asked members of the public not to attempt independent searches because of the dangerous terrain.
Instead, authorities are asking people who live or travel around High Range, the Southern Highlands and nearby trailheads to check dashcam recordings, CCTV, rural properties and outbuildings for anything that could help investigators establish Lily’s movements.
“LEAVE THE SEARCHING TO TRAINED CREWS”
Officials are warning members of the public to stay out of the active search area.
The terrain can be hazardous even for experienced rescuers, and additional people entering the wilderness could create further risks or complicate the operation.
Bushwalking NSW President Jessie Burke has also urged the public not to speculate about Lily’s decisions or preparedness.
She emphasized that hiking alone is not inherently reckless and said there is still not enough information to know exactly what happened to Lily.
THE QUESTION EVERYONE IS ASKING
Seven days into the search, one question continues to haunt Lily’s family and investigators:
Where did she go after reaching Bonnum Pic?
Her abandoned vehicle has provided investigators with an important starting point, but the surrounding wilderness has made the search enormously challenging.
Police continue to treat the case as a search-and-rescue operation, and authorities have stressed that they are hoping to find Lily alive and safe.
For her family, there is only one outcome they are praying for.
After seven days of searching, hundreds of people are still pushing through the wilderness, checking every possible lead and refusing to give up.
The message from Lily’s loved ones remains painfully simple:
Bring Lily home.
