Harrowing new particulars emerge about how Canadian backpacker died on K’gari – as her heartbroken mother and father put together to carry her physique dwelling
The autopsy of a Canadian teenager who was found dead on K’gari Island has revealed she was bitten by dingoes before she died, as authorities continue their search for answers.
The body of Piper James, 19, was discovered on the shore of Queensland‘s island, formerly known as Fraser Island, on Monday surrounded by a pack of 10 dingoes.
Two men travelling in a four-wheel drive found the teen unresponsive at 6am near the Maheno Wreck, with multiple defensive injuries on her body.
Preliminary autopsy results found physical evidence consistent with drowning.
However, it also found evidence of ‘pre-mortem’ dingo bites, raising the possibility that Ms James attempted to escape the native dogs by fleeing into the surf.
There were extensive post-mortem bite marks. The coroner found no evidence that any other person was involved.
‘Pre-mortem dingo bite marks are not likely to have caused immediate death,’ a spokesman for the Coroners Court of Queensland told The Courier Mail.
The coroner is now awaiting pathology results to further assist in determining the cause of death, a process expected to take several weeks.
The body of 19-year-old Piper James (pictured) was discovered on the shore of K’gari Island, formerly known as Fraser Island, on Monday morning
An initial autopsy found evidence consistent with drowning and ‘pre-mortem’ dingo bites
Ms James had been travelling in Australia with her friend Taylor (both pictured) for six weeks
The release of the preliminary report means Ms James’ body can now be released to her family, while further tests are undertaken.
Piper’s father Todd and his wife, Angela, will soon make their way to Australia and have both been invited to K’gari to attend an Indigenous smoking ceremony for their daughter.
Mr James posted an update on social media from his family on the status of his daughter’s initial autopsy results.
‘Autopsy completed but further tests required to determine if the fluid found in her lungs was inhaled or not,’ he wrote on social media on Saturday.
‘These tests should be able to tell us whether or not it was a drowning.
‘Next week Piper’s body will be repatriated home back to Campbell River, where a celebration of her life will be held. Dates will follow.
‘We are so very grateful for the overwhelming amount of support that [my wife] Angela and I are receiving. It can be so very dark at moments.’
Taylor’s mother, Marjorie Stricker, said Ms James’ death had shattered their families
Rangers have increased patrols across the island following the tragedy
Piper’s father Todd and his wife, Angela, will soon make their way to Australia and have both been invited to K’gari to attend an Indigenous smoking ceremony for their daughter
Ms James’ body was found washed up on Seventy Five Mile Beach just one hour after she told friends she was heading out for an early-morning swim at about 5am.
Originally from Campbell River in British Columbia, Ms James had been travelling around Australia with her best friend Taylor for six weeks.
They had been to Sydney, Cairns and the Whitsundays before arriving on the popular island.
Taylor’s mother, Marjorie Stricker, said Ms James’ death had shattered their families.
‘When the girls first left for Australia, we told them to always call, that there were no problems we couldn’t face together, and that safety was the most important thing,’ she said.
‘This isn’t how this was meant to play out. What has happened cannot be undone. It cannot be fixed.’
Ms Stricker said it was time to honour Ms James, who she said had befriended her daughter at a young age when both dreamed of coming to Australia.
On Thursday, Ms James’ family established a GoFundMe page to raise money to bring their daughter home. It had raised almost $8,000 by Saturday afternoon.
The James family has shared a GoFundMe page to raise money to bring their daughter home (Piper pictured with her father Todd James)
Rangers had warned of ‘heightened dingo activity’ in the area where Ms James died only weeks before her death
‘When the girls first left for Australia, we told them to always call, that there were no problems we couldn’t face together, and that safety was the most important thing,’ the page states.
‘This isn’t how this was meant to play out, but what has happened cannot be undone. It cannot be fixed.
‘But we can honour Piper… her free spirit, her kindness, and her way of moving through the world.’
Rangers have increased patrols across K’gari in the wake of the tragedy.
Authorities had warned of ‘heightened dingo activity’ in the area where Ms James died only weeks before her death, after reports of wild dogs ripping tents, approaching campers and stealing food and personal belongings.
The warning remains in place on K’gari for the summer holiday period until January 31.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has ruled out restrictions on visitor numbers to K’gari, the world’s largest sand island.
But the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation and environmental groups have been calling for a cap on tourists, due to mounting safety concerns and damage to the World Heritage site’s fragile environment.
Dingoes are culturally significant to the Butchulla people, who know them by the traditional name Wongari.
