Canadian woman found dead on Australian beach likely died of drowning, autopsy finds

A 19-year-old Canadian backpacker, Piper James, was found dead on a beach on K'Gari Island in Queensland, Australia, on Monday. A preliminary autopsy indicates she likely died of drowning, showing physical evidence consistent with it. While she also sustained injuries consistent with dingo bites, these were unlikely to have caused her immediate death. The coroner noted extensive post-mortem dingo bite marks and found no evidence of other individuals being involved. James had been working at a local hostel and told friends she was going for an early morning swim before her body was discovered near the Maheno shipwreck. The area is known for its dingo population, and a full determination of the cause of death may take several weeks.

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