Three individuals have been charged in relation to the death of One Direction star Liam Payne, according to Argentinian authorities. The singer passed away on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in Buenos Aires.
The National Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office of Argentina reported that one individual, who was with Payne at the time, faces charges of “abandonment of a person resulting in death.” Additionally, a hotel employee and another individual have been charged with drug-related offenses. The identities of those arrested have not been disclosed.
At the age of 31 and a father of one, Payne gained significant recognition in the music industry after his appearance on The X Factor and his subsequent rise to fame with the boyband One Direction during the 2010s.
Authorities in Argentina are investigating Payne’s last days at the CasaSur hotel. Following his death, police discovered various substances in his hotel room, along with damaged objects and furniture. Reports indicate that hotel staff made two emergency calls, stating that a guest had consumed “too many drugs and alcohol” and was “destroying the entire room.”
On Thursday, the public prosecutor’s office announced that toxicology tests indicated the presence of alcohol, cocaine, and a prescription antidepressant in Payne’s system. A post-mortem examination identified the cause of death as “multiple trauma” and “internal and external hemorrhage” resulting from the fall.
Medical reports suggest that Payne may have fallen while in a state of semi-consciousness or complete unconsciousness. The prosecutor’s office concluded that this evidence negates the possibility of a conscious or voluntary act on Payne’s part, indicating that he was unaware of his actions at the time of the incident.
Furthermore, authorities have conducted nine raids on residences in Buenos Aires and are continuing their investigation into Payne’s damaged laptop and other seized devices.
The prosecutor’s office stated that it has reviewed over 800 hours of video recordings from security cameras located within the hotel and on adjacent public roads, in addition to gathering numerous testimonies from hotel personnel, relatives, friends, and medical experts.
The singer’s body was released to his family on Wednesday to be flown back to the UK.