Todd James, the grieving father, expressed the family’s deep sorrow and heartbreak following the loss of his daughter.
“Her contagious laugh and gentle nature will forever remain with us,” he shared in an emotional social media tribute this morning.
“So many will feel the void left by your absence, my cherished little girl.”
“You may no longer be with us, but how could we ever forget you?” he pondered.
He further reflected on her resilience and drive, noting, “I was always inspired by her determination to chase her dreams.”
He fondly recalled her enthusiasm for an Australian adventure, adding, “She was thrilled I supported her journey. She playfully reminded me, ‘I’m 18, and you can’t stop me!’”
“Piper would work hard so she could play hard.”
Her body, found covered in bites and scratches, will undergo an autopsy on mainland Queensland today.
The examination is hoped to provide answers as to whether she had died from drowning or being mauled by dingoes.
The potential that dingoes could be responsible has stunned locals and tourists alike.
The last fatal dingo attack on K’gari was 25 years ago, when a nine-year-old boy was killed in 2001.
Police said the incident has been traumatising to Piper’s friend, the two men who found her, officers and the wider community.
Locals and visitors have been warned to stay away from dingoes.
“Dingoes are wild animals, and whilst they are very culturally, and 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,” Wide Bay District Inspector Paul Algie said on Monday. 
