B.C. woman found dead on Australian beach likely died from drowning: autopsy

Published 8:45 am Friday, January 23, 2026

A 19-year-old Canadian backpacker from Campbell River who was found dead on a beach in Australia on Jan. 19 likely died from drowning and was not killed by a pack of dingoes, according to a preliminary autopsy report.

According to a news report from Canadian Press, a preliminary assessment had been conducted on the body of Piper James and was awaiting pathology results, expected to take several weeks, a spokesperson with the Coroners Court of Queensland confirmed on Friday.

“The autopsy has found physical evidence consistent with drowning and (injuries) consistent with dingo bites,” the spokesperson told the national news agency. “Pre-mortem dingo bite marks are not likely to have caused immediate death. There are extensive post-mortem dingo bite marks.

The spokesperson also told CP there was no evidence that any other person was involved in her death.

James, who had left on a months-long backpacking trip in October 2025 with a friend, had recently arrived and started working at a local business on K’gari Island, which is a world heritage-listed island formerly known as Fraser Island off the Queensland coast.

Black Press has contacted the Coroners Court of Queensland for more information and is awaiting a response.