A coroner has ruled that Canadian tourist Piper James died after dingoes attacked her, which resulted in her tragic drowning. 

The teenage backpacker, 19, was working on K’gari, formerly Fraser Island, on January 19 when she told her friends that she was going for an early morning swim.

Her body was found by a passing 4WD motorist an hour later, surrounded by a pack of dingoes near the island’s popular tourist site, the SS Maheno wreck.

A preliminary autopsy uncovered evidence of ‘pre-mortem’ dingo bites but believed that drowning was the most likely cause of death.

The Coroners Court of Queensland handed down her official cause of death on Friday.

‘The Coroners Court of Queensland advises that the results of Piper’s cause of death have now been determined by the assigned Queensland Health forensic pathologist and has been accepted by the investigating coroner,’ a spokesperson said.

‘Piper died as a result of drowning in the setting of multiple injuries, due to, or as a consequence of a dingo attack.

‘The investigation into Piper’s death is ongoing, and no further information can be provided at this time.’ 

Coroners Court of Queensland has handed down Piper James’ official cause of death

The Canadian teen (left) had been travelling across Australia with her best friend Taylor

The coroner ruled that dingoes attacked Piper James, which resulted in her drowning 

Piper’s parents Todd and Angela James have been informed.

‘It breaks my heart we couldn’t be there to save her,’ Ms James told the ABC.

Her husband added: ‘It hurts my heart to think she was screaming for me. 

‘It’s hard to imagine what our baby went through.’

The couple recently travelled to Australia to retrieve their only child’s body and return home to Campbell River, about 200km north-west of Vancouver.

Piper was farewelled by family and friends at a funeral and private celebration of her  life in her hometown last Saturday. 

Her parents also recently requested the Queensland coroner to hold an inquest into her death.

They called for a full review of the policies regarding information provided by rangers about the risk of dingo attacks, adding that their daughter and others at the campsite were not aware of a heightened alert that was in place at the time.

Eight of the 10 dingoes that attacked Piper on K’gari  were later culled (stock image)

Todd James (pictured with daughter Piper) has called for an inquest into her death

The couple also want a review of dingo management on the island after the eight of the 10 native dogs involved in Piper’s death were euthanised.

It was the first major cull since 2001, which was triggered by the death of nine-year-old Clinton Gage, who was killed in a dingo attack near Waddy Point – also on K’gari.

The couple had previously expressed their disappointment about the latest cull, adding it was the last thing Piper would want.

‘I’m hoping that with this inquest, it’ll show where some things possibly could be changed … so there doesn’t have to have another incident like Piper passing away,’ Mr James told the ABC.

Mr James fought back tears during his eulogy as he paid tribute to his kind, free-spirited daughter at her funeral.

‘I shared my love for motorcycles with you – never did I dream in a million years that you would be taking us on the ride of our lives,’ he said.

‘I loved you for the way you loved us – you were an amazing daughter. You were fun to be around.’ 

Her mother added: ‘You were only 19 yet you lived with more courage and fire than most people do in a lifetime.

New warning signs were erected on K’gari  in the wake of Piper James’ death

‘You ran toward danger, chased the thrill of life on your bike, trusted your hand and heart on rock faces.’

Best friend Taylor Stricker, who had been travelling with Piper across Australia, also spoke.

‘We were partners in crime, Yin and Yang, a perfect match,’ she told mourners.

‘She pushed me in ways I never thought I could be capable of, we balanced each other in a way that just worked.

‘I’m so lucky I got to have her in my life. Even though she was taken too soon, she changed me in ways no one else had.’

There are estimated to be about 200 dingoes on K’gari, the largest sand island in the world.

They are known as wongari to the Butchulla people, for whom they are culturally significant.

Piper’s death sparked renewed calls for a cap on visitor numbers on the island visited by 400,000 tourists each year.

The Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation, which represents the traditional owners, also wants to close the tourist hotspot for periods of the year.