A young Canadian backpacker who was found dead on a beach in Australia earlier this week was likely not killed by a pack of 10 dingoes, an autopsy has found.
A spokesperson with the Coroners Court of Queensland confirmed in a statement Friday that a preliminary assessment had been completed on the body of Piper James and was awaiting pathology results, expected to take several weeks.
“The autopsy has found physical evidence consistent with drowning and (injuries) consistent with dingo bites,” the spokesperson said. “Pre-mortem dingo bite marks are not likely to have caused immediate death. There are extensive post-mortem dingo bite marks.
The spokesperson also said there was no evidence that any other person was involved in her death.
Police in the Australian state of Queensland have said James, who was 19, had been travelling with a friend when she died. Her family says she ventured out for an early-morning swim on a beach on K’Gari, an island off Australia’s east coast.
Not long after, two men driving an SUV along the beach found her body surrounded by a pack of dingoes.
Friends and family of the young Canadian from Campbell River, B.C., say James was a “brave little girl” with an infectious laugh who dreamt of becoming a pilot. Angela James, Piper’s mother, said her daughter was adventurous and loved motocross, camping and swimming.
Global Affairs Canada has said officials are providing consular assistance to the family.
K’gari is known for its population of wild dingoes. The Queensland government warns visitors to be “dingo safe.” Ranger patrols have increased since the attack.
There has been a series of dingo attacks on K’Gari, also known as Fraser Island. They include the fatal mauling of a nine-year-old in 2001 and an incident in 2023 when a jogger on the beach was chased into the surf and attacked.
Australia’s most notorious dingo attack was the death of two-month-old Azaria Chamberlain in central Australia in 1980, which inspired the 1988 film “:A Cry in the Dark” featuring Meryl Streep as the infant’s mother who was wrongfully convicted of murder.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 23, 2026.
Aaron Sousa, The Canadian Press
