B.C. teen Piper James bitten by dingoes before she likely drowned in Australia: autopsy
The family of a Canadian backpacker Piper James received preliminary results investigating her death after her body was found on an Australia beach earlier this week.
“The autopsy has found physical evidence consistent with drowning and injuries consistent with dingo bites. Pre-mortem dingo bite marks are not likely to have caused immediate death. There are extensive post-mortem dingo bite marks,” a Queensland coroners court spokesperson said on Friday, The Guardian reported.
The Guardian notes speculation pointing to Piper entering the water to escapes dingoes before she drowned.
But the Coroners Court of Queensland added in a statement that further testing is required to conclusively determine the cause of death, ABC reports . Although they ruled out involvement of any other person based on no evidence of it.
Police were called to the beach on K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, on Monday. The island is located off of the Queensland coast. The 19-year-old had gone for a swim at 5 a.m. A few hours later, James’ body surrounded by a pack of dingoes was discovered by two passersby. A postmortem into how she died started on Wednesday.
“(It) was obviously a very traumatic and horrific scene for them (authorities) to uncover,” police Insp. Paul Algie said, per news.com.au .
Authorities in Australia said Piper was working at a backpacker hostel and had been living and working on the island. She was travelling in Australia with her friend Taylor Stricker, ABC reports.
Stricker’s mother told ABC that Piper always felt drawn to adventure and the ocean. “She was an athlete, a dirt bike rider, a snowboarder, a dedicated seasonal firefighter and devoted animal lover,” she said.
A day after her death was announced, Piper’s dad Todd James posted a tribute on Facebook.
“Our hearts are shattered as we share the tragic loss of our beautiful daughter, Piper,” he wrote. “We will always remember her infectious laugh and her kind spirit. I admired her strength and determination to go after her dreams.”
The father said Piper “grew into her beautiful self” and that he said he enjoyed hearing about the “bonds and friendships she was developing.”
“She loved and was proud of her work at BC Wildfire Services,” he said. “Piper would work hard so she could play hard. So many are going to miss you, my precious little baby girl. Maybe gone, but how can we ever forget you?”
Piper’s close friend Brianna Falk told Canadian Press on Tuesday that she and Piper “had so many plans and she was so young.” The two meet three years ago, in a high school English class they attended in Campbell River, B.C. “You never think that it is going to be somebody that you know, let alone one of your closest friends.”
She described Piper as someone who loved nature and “was always down to talk.”
Falk told the outlet that James’ plan to travel to Australia was “spur of the moment” and was hatched around six months ago. James, who went to Australia with another friend, “mentioned that they didn’t really have a plan, and it was very nice and free-spirited,” said Falk.
“They were having a blast,” she added.
A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada on Monday extended condolences to the family and loved ones.
“Canadian officials are providing consular assistance to the family. Due to privacy considerations, no further information can be disclosed,” the spokesperson told National Post in an email.
The beach that the body was found on, K’gari, “is a wilderness area, dingoes are wild animals, and while they are very culturally and significant to the local First Nations people and to the people that live on the island, they are still wild animals and need to be treated as such,” police Insp. Algie said, 9News reported on Monday.
According to a Queensland government webpage , “Dingoes on K’gari have chased joggers and children who are playing. What appears as playful dog behaviour is actually serious dominance testing by the dingoes, which can lead to aggression. Avoid jogging and running as it can attract and excite dingo attention and trigger a negative interaction.”
The webpage adds: “Dingoes have bitten visitors, occasionally quite severely, and are capable of killing people.”
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