K’GARI, Australia, Monday – Queensland police are investigating the death of a 19-year-old Canadian woman whose body was found on a beach on K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, early Monday morning.
Police said they were called to the beach at about 6:35 a.m. local time after two men discovered the woman’s body surrounded by approximately 10 dingoes. Emergency responders pronounced her dead shortly after arriving at the scene.
According to police, the woman had told friends she was going for a swim around 5 a.m. She had been working at a backpackers’ hostel on the island for the past six weeks and was living there with a friend from Canada.
Queensland Police Inspector Paul Algie of the Wide Bay Burnett District said it was too early to determine the cause of death.
“We simply can’t confirm whether this young lady drowned or died as a result of being attacked by dingoes,” Algie told reporters at a news conference.
He added that there were markings on the woman’s body consistent with being “touched and interfered with by dingoes,” but investigators have not yet determined whether the animals were involved before or after her death.
Authorities have not released the woman’s name, pending notification of next of kin. The investigation is ongoing, and police said further information would be provided once forensic examinations are complete.
