She Should Still Be Here: Heartbreaking Lily Hooper Tragedy as Fatal Radio Mix-Up Comes to Light
A radio code word will be central to investigations into harrowing miscommunication about a missing teenage hiker’s survival.
Family of 18-year-old Lily Hooper were briefly told their daughter was still alive after a volunteer discovered her body on Thursday in Nattai National Park, southwest of Sydney.
Early reports suggested a code word, pertaining to water bottles, may have been responsible for the botched communication.
On Friday, NSW SES Commissioner Mike Wassing confirmed the service often consigned codes and would take part in a multi-agency communications investigation.
NSW Police, the lead agency, had assigned Ms Hooper a code, he said.
‘It’s quite common during search-and-rescue operations, police will set a code for the search-and-rescue operators to use with respect to if they find the missing person,’ Mr Wassing said.
He added codes are usually associated with some aspect ‘like that in terms of bottles of water’.
Crews on the ground were typically briefed with codes that helped separate logistical information from loved ones who may be monitoring radio lines.
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Lily Hooper, 18, was found dead on the Bonnum Pic trail, south of Sydney, on Thursday
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Heartbroken mourners console each other after learning that Lily had actually passed away
On Friday, NSW SES Commissioner Mike Wassing confirmed the service often consigned codes and would take part in a multi-agency communications investigation.
NSW Police, the lead agency, had assigned Ms Hooper a code, he said.
‘It’s quite common during search-and-rescue operations, police will set a code for the search-and-rescue operators to use with respect to if they find the missing person,’ Mr Wassing said.
He added codes are usually associated with some aspect ‘like that in terms of bottles of water’.
Crews on the ground were typically briefed with codes that helped separate logistical information from loved ones who may be monitoring radio lines.
+5
View gallery
Lily Hooper, 18, was found dead on the Bonnum Pic trail, south of Sydney, on Thursday
+5
View gallery
Heartbroken mourners console each other after learning that Lily had actually passed away
