Three individuals have been charged in Argentina in connection with the tragic death of British singer Liam Payne, former member of One Direction. Authorities report that a close associate of Payne, a hotel employee, and a suspected drug dealer are now facing charges related to the supply of narcotics and abandonment of a person resulting in death.
According to prosecutors, toxicology tests revealed that Payne had alcohol, cocaine, and an antidepressant in his system at the time of his death. The singer, 31, fell from a third-floor balcony at a hotel in Buenos Aires’ Palermo neighborhood on October 16. Emergency responders arrived on the scene to find Payne in the hotel’s courtyard after hotel staff reported a guest experiencing a “drug and alcohol-induced crisis” and causing disturbances in the room.
The forensic report confirmed Payne died from “multiple traumas” and “internal and external hemorrhaging” due to the fall, with injuries to the base of his skull. Prosecutors said the lack of defensive reflexes or any self-preservation attempt during the fall suggested that Payne was not fully conscious at the time, likely due to intoxication, ruling out both suicide and physical intervention by a third party.
One of the accused had reportedly been visiting Payne regularly during his two-week stay in Argentina and now faces charges of abandonment of a person resulting in death and narcotics facilitation, carrying a potential prison sentence of 5 to 15 years. Another accused, a hotel staff member, is alleged to have provided cocaine to Payne on two separate occasions. The third individual also faces charges of supplying narcotics days before Payne’s death.
The investigation involved extensive witness testimonies, several raids, and analysis of more than 800 hours of surveillance footage, prosecutors stated. Payne’s father, Geoff, recently traveled to Buenos Aires to meet with fans and visit his son’s remains.
