Police have said “there’s been no sign” of a missing teenager as fears grow for the bushwalker.
Lily Hooper, 18, told her family she was going hiking in Nattai National Park in New South Wales on Wednesday,
About 8am, she left Oakdale in Sydney’s south-west.
While in the park, Ms Hooper sent messages to her loved ones and it is understood she reached the summit of Bunnum Pic about mid-morning.
That evening, the experienced bushwalker did not return and could no longer be reached, prompting a multi-agency search for the teenager.
Ms Hooper’s car was found at the Bonnum Pic trailhead on Wanganderry Road around 11pm but no further signs have been found of her.
She is described as being about 175 centimetres tall with a slim build, blonde hair, and blue eyes.
Police, SES, and fire services are desperately working to locate the teenager, with helicopters, drones, and specialist rescuers also being deployed.
Hume Police crime manager Detective Inspector Benjamin Bowles said on Friday authorities were concerned for Ms Hooper’s safety.
However, he remained optimistic and said Ms Hooper was an experienced hiker.
“We have not been able to fully confirm what supplies (Ms Hooper) had with her at the time but we are still hopeful that we will be able to locate her safe and sound,” he said.
“We don’t have any information to suggest that this is anything other than an overdue hiker.”
On Friday, defence personnel joined the search effort.
Searches continued overnight and a new team was taking over at 7am on Saturday with support from the NSW Police airwing, PolAir, RFS and VRA members.
However, a spokesperson said “there’s been no sign of the missing woman”.
Police are urging anyone with any information to contact them.
Police are expected to provide an update on the search on Saturday afternoon.
More to come...
Get the latest news from thewest.com.au in your inbox.
Sign up for our emails