Autopsy Says Dingoes Likely Didn’t Kill Canadian, but There Were ‘Pre-Mortem’ Bites

Piper James, 19, of Campbell River, B.C., shown in this undated handout photo, was found dead on a beach in Australia, surrounded by a pack of dingoes. The Canadian Press/Handout - Angela James

An autopsy suggests dingo bites on the body of a young Canadian backpacker found dead on a beach in Australia earlier this week were likely not her immediate cause of death.

But the preliminary assessment of the body of 19-year-old Piper James, found on the island of K'gari, says there were “pre-mortem” bites in addition to physical evidence consistent with drowning.