Canadian woman Piper James told friends she was going for an early swim before being found dead surrounded by dingoes on K'gari
Updated . First published at
The body of a Canadian teen found surrounded by dingoes on a Queensland island on Monday will be autopsied today as authorities seek answers about her final moments.
Piper James, 19, was found dead on K'gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, on Monday morning surrounded by a pack of about 10 dingoes.
Her body was covered in bite wounds and scratches.
READ MORE: Hunt for trio after elderly man allegedly attacked with golf club
Piper James, 19, was found dead on K'gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, yesterday morning surrounded by a pack of about 10 dingoes. Supplied
READ MORE: Man bitten by crocodile in north Queensland
She had told her friends she was going for an early morning swim, before her body was later found by two men.
Campers nearby were woken up in the early hours as authorities arrived on scene about 6.30am.
"I got a knock on the swag by the rangers, they were making sure the women we were sleeping with were still here, because obviously someone's gone missing," witness Bryce Neighbour said.
"We saw someone get put in the body bag and it was a bit much."
James was within walking distance of the campsite where she had been living and working for six weeks alongside her friend from home, Taylor Stricker.
READ MORE: Local mayor describes 'escalating dingo aggression'
The Canadian teenager was travelling with her friend from home Taylor Stricker. Supplied
The surrounding camp zones have been closed and rangers are warning tourists to beware.
"At the moment it's a police matter, and our response to any risk mitigation is increased patrols in the area," ranger Linda Behrendorff said.
The potential that the island's dingoes could be responsible has stunned locals and tourists alike.
"We've fortunately come out of a peak period, a holiday period over the Christmas holidays where there were very limited high-risk behaviour from dingoes to visitors" Behrendorff said.
If dingoes are to blame, it would be the first death from an attack in 25 years.
Fraser Coast Mayor George Seymour described James' death as a "massive tragedy".
"I think that if this is found to be a fatal dingo attack, there will have to be a review of the dingo management strategy," Seymour said.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
