’Horrific scene’ as Canadian tourist found dead in Australia, body surrounded by dingoes

Police in Queensland, Australia, are investigating the death of a 19-year-old Canadian woman after her body was found on a beach on Monday  surrounded by dingoes.

Police were called to the beach on K’gari, formerly called Fraser Island, at 6:35 a.m. local time, according to a news release. The woman had reportedly told friends she was going for a swim around 5 a.m.

In a news conference, Queensland Police Insp. Paul Algie of Wide Bay Burnett District said the Canadian citizen had been working at a backpacker’s hostel on the island for the past six weeks.

Two men found her body on the beach surrounded by approximately 10 dingoes and called the police, he said. She was confirmed dead shortly after police arrived, and they were able to confirm her identity, which Algie only described as a 19-year-old Canadian national.

She was working on K’gari with a friend from Canada. It’s too early to speculate on the cause of death, Algie said.

We simply can’t confirm whether this young lady drowned or died as a result of being attacked by dingoes, Algie told local media in a news conference. 

But, he added, there were markings on her body consistent with being touched and interfered with by the dingoes.

A post-mortem is scheduled for Wednesday, at which point officials hope to have more answers, he said. Algie told local media the Queensland police have reached out to the RCMP to inform the woman’s family.

An RCMP spokesperson confirmed with CBC News that they’re aware of the investigation in Australia, while adding they don’t comment on specific criminal investigations in foreign jurisdictions.

We were saddened to hear about the loss of this young person, and our hearts go out to the family and all those impacted, the spokesperson said.

CBC News has also contacted Global Affairs Canada for more information, but has not yet heard back.

The Queensland Police Service told CBC News it had no further updates at this time. In a post on X, Queensland police asked anyone with relevant information to come forward.

A ‘horrific’ scene

The two men were driving near the beach north of Maheno Shipwreck when they saw a pack of dingoes surrounding the woman’s body.

It was obviously a very traumatic and horrific scene for them to uncover, Algie said in the news conference.

The woman’s friend, who is also Canadian, is extremely traumatized, he said.

The Maheno Shipwreck is one of the most famous landmarks on K’gari, and is located on 75 Mile Beach. According to the Fraser Tours website, tourists travel from all over the world to take sunrise photos at the wreck.

She was a young woman enjoying a beautiful part of the world, and that’s what makes this such a tragedy, Algie said.

Ocean swimming is not recommended (new window) off K’gari, according to a Queensland government conditions report, adding that its beaches are unpatrolled with strong ocean currents.

Alert warned of heightened dingo activity

Dingoes are protected on K’gari as a native species, according to the Queensland government Parks and Forests website.

K’gari is a wilderness area, Algie warned.

Dingoes are wild animals, and whilst they are very culturally 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.

In December, Queensland’s Parks and Forests posted an alert to its website warning of heightened dingo activity along K’gari Eastern Beach. The alert applies until the end of January.

Dingoes have been ripping tents, stealing food or property, damaging property and approaching people, the website notes.

In July 2023, Australia’s ABC News reported there had already been more than 130 threatening or high-risk incidents between humans and wild dingoes reported on K’gari so far that year.

In one of the incidents, a 23-year-old woman reportedly out jogging was mauled by a pack that chased and corralled her into the water, according to the Guardian . She was hospitalized with multiple bite wounds.

In 2001, a nine-year-old boy was killed by dingoes on K’gari. Police at the time said the dogs stalked the boy and attacked him when he tripped and fell.