BRISBANE — Australian police are investigating the death of a Canadian woman, whose body was found on a beach surrounded by a pack of dingoes, on an island off the country’s east coast popular with backpackers and other tourists.
Police in the Australian state of Queensland said they were told about the body of the 19-year-old victim around 6:35 a.m. local time on Monday, when officers were called to a beach on K’gari, also known as Fraser Island.
Police Inspector Paul Algie told reporters the body had been “interfered” with by the pack of about 10 dingoes, but it wasn’t known how the woman died.
“We simply can’t confirm whether this young lady drowned, or died as a result of being attacked by dingoes,” he said in a news conference.
A statement from the RCMP confirmed the woman was a Canadian citizen and directed all questions about the investigation to Australian authorities.
A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said Monday that Canadian officials are providing consular assistance to the woman’s family. “We extend our condolences to the family and loved ones,” a statement said.
A Queensland Police news release said the body was found north of the Maheno shipwreck, a landmark on the island’s eastern side, and initial information suggests the woman may have gone for a swim around 5 a.m.
It said a crime scene had been established and investigations into the circumstances were ongoing.
The Australian Broadcasting Corp. said the victim had been spotted by two men driving along the beach, while 9 News Australia said the victim had been staying with a fellow Canadian on the island.
K’gari, a World Heritage Area that is described as the world’s largest sand island, is known for its population of wild dingoes, with the Queensland government warning visitors to be “dingo safe.”
There has been a series of dingo attacks on the island, including the fatal mauling of nine-year-old Clinton Gage in 2001, and an incident in 2023 when a woman who was jogging on the beach was chased into the surf and attacked.
“Some K’gari dingoes are habituated to people and may approach you,” the government video warns.
It tells people to keep children close and carry a “safety stick,” saying it’s important not to give dingoes food because “they may become aggressive towards people in search of it.”
Australia’s most notorious dingo attack was the death of two-month-old Azaria Chamberlain in central Australia in 1980.
A spokesperson for Queensland’s Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation says ranger patrols have increased in the area. One camping zone has temporarily closed, and new signs encourage people to be “dingo-safe.”
Safety tactics include walking in groups, not feeding dingoes and locking up any food or drink.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 19, 2026.
The Canadian Press
