Australian authorities have concluded that a Canadian tourist, Piper James, died from drowning following injuries sustained in a dingo attack. James, aged 19 and from Campbell River, B.C., was discovered deceased on Jan. 19 on K’gari, a sand island off Queensland’s coast. The Coroners Court of Queensland confirmed that the cause of death was drowning with multiple injuries attributed to a dingo attack, as per a spokesperson.
James, who had been traveling in Australia since October with a friend, secured a job on K’gari, a popular site for backpackers and tourists. Her body was found surrounded by approximately 10 dingoes. Preliminary autopsy results indicated that James likely drowned and showed both pre- and post-mortem dingo bite marks, suggesting she was coerced into the water by the pack.
Following the incident, eight out of the ten dingoes involved were euthanized due to posing an unacceptable public safety risk. The Coroners Court of Queensland mentioned that the investigation into James’s death is ongoing, with no further details provided at this time.