Coroner says B.C. teen was forced into water by dingoes in Australia

By Canadian Press on March 5, 2026.

BRISBANE — A coroner in Australia has determined that a 19-year-old British Columbia woman drowned when she was attacked by a pack of dingoes on an early morning walk.

Piper James was on a backpacking trip and had been working on the island of K’Gari when she died on Jan. 19.

The Coroners Court of Queensland confirmed the teen’s cause of death had been determined by Queensland Health’s forensic pathologist.

A spokesperson for the coroner confirmed she drowned with multiple injuries due to or as a consequence of the dingo attack.

James’s body was discovered surrounded by a group of about 10 dingoes, eight of which have since been euthanized.

The coroner said her body had numerous “pre-mortem” bite marks, indicating she had been forced into the water by the pack. — The Australian Associated Press in Brisbane

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 5, 2026.

Andrew Stafford, The Canadian Press

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