Parents of B.C.’s Piper James grieve on Australian beach where she died

BRISBANE – The parents of Canadian teenager Piper James have walked in the surf and taken part in a traditional Aboriginal ceremony on an Australian beach where their daughter was found dead last month, surrounded by a pack of dingoes.

Todd and Angela James from Campbell River, B.C., arrived in Brisbane in Queensland state on Tuesday before heading to the beach on the island of K’gari where their 19-year-old daughter lost her life.

Wednesday’s ceremony was closed to media except national broadcaster the Australian Broadcasting Corp., which showed the parents kneeling at the shoreline and embracing members of the Butchulla Indigenous people.

Piper James was working on K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island, when she went for an early morning swim on January 19. Her body was found a short time later surrounded by a pack of dingoes near a popular tourist site, the SS Maheno wreck.

An autopsy uncovered evidence of “pre-mortem” dingo bites but said drowning was the most likely cause of death. Todd and Angela James touched down in Brisbane on Tuesday morning after their long flight from Vancouver, ahead of their pilgrimage to K’gari on Wednesday. “It’s hard, it’s just so hard,” Mr. James told the Australian Associated Press before travelling about 350 kilometres north for the traditional smoking ceremony alongside the island’s traditional owners.

The ABC reported that the ceremony was also attended by about 10 of Piper James’s friends from Canada, and those from a nearby hostel. “This ceremony is important and cultural protocol for us and a way to bring calm to the land, acknowledge her spirit and offer the healing to all,” Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation director Christine Royan said.

The Butchulla people have a deep spiritual connection to the land and the tragedy has devastated the entire island, she said. “We wanted young Piper to leave with footprints of good memories to come back another day,” Ms Royan said.  “It (the smoking ceremony) is part of our culture and responsibilities … to honour the life and ensure the spirit churning is peaceful.”

Todd James earlier described their travel plans on social media. “It is now time to go to Australia to be with Piper, walk where she last walked, and try to feel the spirit of my baby girl in some way — we will return with Piper back home to Canada,” he posted on Facebook. The family will hold a “beautiful celebration” of their daughter’s life with a funeral service on February 28.

Rangers increased patrols across K’gari, the world’s largest sand island, following the tragedy. Six dingoes, a type of wild dog that was previously involved in the fatal mauling of a nine-year-old boy on K’gari in 2001, have since been destroyed after displaying aggressive behaviour near where Piper James died.

The Coroners Court of Queensland has said a conclusive determination of the cause of death could take several weeks. — The Australian Associated Press in Brisbane

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 4, 2026.