A Canadian woman has been found dead surrounded by 12 dingoes on a popular tourist island off the coast of south-east Queensland.
The 19-year-old had gone for a swim near the Maheno Shipwreck on K’gari – formerly known as Fraser Island – at about 5am on Monday before her body was discovered an hour later at 6am.
Police Inspector Paul Algie said authorities were determining her cause of death, with two possibilities being probed.
‘We’re investigating at the moment as to whether she has drowned or whether she has been attacked. We simply don’t know,’ he said.
Authorities will contact the woman’s family in Canada after confirming her identity with the consulate.
‘We may not know until a post-mortem as to the actual cause of death,’ Inspector Algie said.
‘We’ll obviously throw every resource we can at it to get some resolution for her family.’
Significant wounds were found on the woman’s body.
A Canadian woman has been found dead surrounded by dingoes on K’gari
Locals said the conditions at the beach were very windy and rough, with the area known to be hazardous.
The woman is understood to have been working on the island at a backpackers venue and had lived there for some time.
K’gari has experienced dingo attacks in the past, including a young child who was bitten several times and held underwater by the wild animal in April 2023.
The child suffered minor bites to her head and fingers.
Months later, four dingoes attacked Brisbane woman Sarah Peet, forcing her to run into the surf to to protect herself in July.
