Tragic Drowning of Canadian Backpacker on Australian Beach Investigated

Sat Jan 31 2026 19:07:30 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Nineteen-year-old Canadian backpacker Piper James was found deceased on an Australian beach, with autopsy results indicating drowning as the likely cause of death amidst pre-mortem injuries consistent with dingo bites.

The tragic case of Piper James, a Canadian traveler found dead on K'Gari island, is under investigation following autopsy results pointing to drowning as the primary cause of death. The discovery of extensive dingo bite marks has raised concerns but was deemed not to be responsible for her immediate death. Family members express relief as the autopsy results allow for her body to be returned to Canada.

A Canadian backpacker, who was found dead on an Australian beach and surrounded by a pack of dingoes earlier this week, likely died of drowning, an autopsy has found.

Piper James, 19, had 'physical evidence consistent with drowning' and 'injuries consistent with dingo bites', a spokesperson for the Coroners Court of Queensland told BBC news.

'Pre-mortem dingo bite marks' were unlikely to have caused her 'immediate death', the spokesperson added. The autopsy was part of a preliminary assessment, and establishing her exact cause of death could take several weeks.

Piper's body was found on a beach on K'Gari, an island off the eastern state of Queensland on Monday.

In a statement to the BBC, the coroner also stated there were 'extensive post-mortem dingo bite marks' and that no evidence indicated anyone else was involved.

Piper's father, Todd James, expressed to Australia's 9News that the family felt relieved, as the autopsy results meant her body could be released back to her family in Canada.

Her mother Angela told Global News that her daughter had always dreamed of traveling and had saved money for this trip after she graduated high school.

Both parents had concerns about her traveling at her young age, but Piper was determined.

The teenager had been working at a backpacker's hostel for the past six weeks and informed friends she was going for a morning swim at 05:00 on Monday, Australian media reported.

Her body was discovered around 06:30 local time (20:30 GMT on Sunday) near the Maheno shipwreck, washed ashore in 1935 and now a popular tourist landmark.

The area is known for its population of dingoes, a wild species of native dog that is protected in Queensland national parks.

Approximately 200 dingoes inhabit World Heritage-listed K'Gari, according to the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.